


Piece by Piece

by words_to_escape_by



Series: Piece by Piece Saga [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: ADVENTURE!, AU hopping, Completed, Don't really know what I'm doing, Dreaming, F/M, Freeform, Gaster Needs a Hug, Implied/Referenced Suicide, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Kidnapping, Mental Link, Perhaps the slowest of burns, Post-Undertale, Reader Is Not Frisk, Slow Burn, Undertale AU, W. D. Gaster is not related to Skelebros, a lot more plot than i anticipated but hey it's exciting, action! - Freeform, dancing?, emotion sharing, hope you like long stories, lots of AU characters you all know and love, lots of cliffhangers ;D, lots of emotional angst, mostly it will just be lots of emotional fluff and Gaster being a sad guy you just want to be happy, much magics, puns, reader is female, surprisingly dark, timeline jumping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-03
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-09-06 02:44:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 63
Words: 110,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8731777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/words_to_escape_by/pseuds/words_to_escape_by
Summary: A story where you find yourself somehow connected to a mysterious monster- one that invades your dreams, creeps into your reality, and somehow, gives your life a bit more meaning and excitement.To help him, you decide to hop through timelines and parallel universes (read- AU's) to find the missing pieces of his soul. And you can't help but come to find him... interesting.This is a W.D. Gaster x Reader fanfic, with plenty o plot and fluff sprinkled about places. Be prepared for a slow, slow burn.Also, my first fanfic, so please bear with me while I learn...





	1. A Dream, a Darkness, and a Delightful Coworker

(([Soundtrack](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VodS-cavlYA))-open them in different pages)

You found yourself wandering in a cool hallway. The walls were craggy and cool colored, and your nose was filled with dampness. Your shoes made a soft scuffling sound against the rocky floor. Somewhere, you were sure, was your destination, but you knew you weren't there yet.

  
Ahead of you, the tunnel grew darker. A grey door was embedded in the wall on your left. You turned to face it. For the first time, you realized that your vision was somewhat distorted. Everything seemed a bit unresolved, like a low resolution photo. You didn't mind, though. Some part of you knew that you should go through the door, even though you were a bit scared.

  
Regardless, you pushed open the door. The room was dark, but dimly lit. The door shut behind you. All sounds disappeared as you closed the door.  
After a short walk down the corridor, you came upon a small room. The rocks and bluish walls from the cave were gone, replaced by smooth grey like the door. You looked around, but nothing was there. But you felt ... something. Or perhaps... someone.

  
You walked to the corner of the room, inspecting the wall. It was perfectly smooth. As you leaned in closer, a soft sound grew.  
It sounded like an electronic rasping. Your heart beat faster, looking around the room. It grew dark, yet darker. You tried to move, but the floor reverted back to where you were standing. The grey walls disappeared. The rasping was loud now, sounding almost like a voice. You didn't understand what it was, but you were terrified.

  
A word broke through.

  
"W... who...?"

 

  
And with a rush, you panicked. You opened your eyes to your dark bedroom. Heartbeats raced through your chest, and the uneasiness of the dream began to dissipate as you realized it wasn't real. You turned your head. The red letters on your clock read 2:56.

  
The dream was unusual. You had never been in a cave before, let alone an oddly bluish one. And it was so vivid... like real life. And the voice-like sound... It was so creepy. The stuff of nightmares. But it didn't sound malicious as much as curious.  
In a few moments, you had passed it off as just a strange dream. You quickly fell back asleep.

 

  
\-----------

 

([Soundtrack](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR_OsCUBe5k)) 

The next day, you resumed your normal life. Another day at the design firm where you worked, mostly doing paperwork and occasionally getting to have say in a bigger project. You worked for an architecture/interior design firm, but dabbled in graphic and web design as well.  
You were replying to an email when your co-worker friend, Sophie, swung by your desk, coffee mug in hand.

  
"How is your morning going? Been working on the codes for the Hunter Plaza?" She sipped her coffee. You could smell it, it was a good-smelling vanilla flavored blend.

  
You looked up. "Yeah, mostly doing research and sending emails. You know the drill." You clicked send, satisfied with the email. "How about you?"

  
"Same-old, same-old. Except we've got a new employee next to me, to fill where Charlie was. It's a monster. A short skeleton-looking guy, with this goofy smile that never goes away. He's pretty quiet. Supposedly, he was hired as an intern. Looks like he will fill Charlie's job of fixing the coffee machine and putting ink in the plotter."

  
"Oh yeah?" You were intrigued. The company hadn't hired a monster before. You were used to them by now, you passed them occasionally on the street and in cafes. "Maybe I should stop by and say hello today. He seem friendly?"

  
She nodded slowly, the coffee cup on her lips. "Sure. He makes the worst jokes though, I should warn you. Not far from how bad yours are." She grinned widely.

  
"I though you loved my jokes?" You feigned offense.

  
She just grinned again and walked towards her office down the hall.

 

  
\----------

 

  
A few hours passed, and you were nearing the end of your shift. You decided now would be an opportune time to say hi to the intern.  
You pushed your rolling chair away from your desk. Suddenly, however, you felt uneasy. The edges of your vision started to get dark.

  
_Oh, shit, I'm sick... Am I going to pass out?_ you quickly though as your vision got darker. A sound like blood rushing entered your ears. Wait, that sounded like...

  
And then it was over. Everything was suddenly bright again. You looked around, nobody seemed disturbed. Maybe you just were hallucinating. Or maybe actually sick. You cautiously stood up and looked around. Everything was fine. Oh well.

([Cue San's soundtrack](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ2-SHEkS9k))  
You made your way over to the area where Sophie worked. You saw Charlie's old desk, back to back with Sophie's, and a figure sitting in the rolling chair, feet propped on a short filing cabinet. He wore a blue jacket- not the zip-up kind, but the metal button-clasp kind, with pockets and a sharp collar, with a black turtleneck undershirt. He wore black long pants and dark converse to complete the outfit.

  
Sure enough, he had bone-white features. His head leaned back in the chair, gazing at the computer screen, with his arms in the jacket's pockets.  
You thought you had approached without him noticing, but just as you reached him, without looking, he said, "heya." His voice was low and comical.

  
You smiled. He was pretty sharp. "Hello. It's nice to meet you, I'm ______. I work down the hall."

  
He turned to address you. "nice to meet ya, ____. the name's sans. i assumed you knew by now, but i'm the new intern."

  
"Yep, word travels fast here. Small company." You eyed the computer screen, which seemed to be filled with equations and blueprints. "Whatcha reading there? Looks like schematics."

  
He nodded at the screen. "yep. i have a lot of catching up to do- humans have been designing lots of cool stuff since we've been in the underground. but this company's design... a bit different than engineering, don't 'cha think?"

  
You nodded. "Visual design is quite different. Lots more to think about, aesthetically. But engineering, whew, that's some hardcore stuff. Especially monster engineering. Wasn't the core designed to convert magic into power? That would take quite a bit of effort."

  
You thought you saw a glimmer of sadness in Sans' eyes for a moment, but then it vanished to be replaced by the jovial glow. "yep. th' core is pretty neat." He said nothing more.

  
Noticing the silence, you said, "Well, it was nice to meet you Sans, but I've gotta do a few more things before heading out. Hope you have a good day."

  
His expression stayed the same. "good to know we have a few busy-bodies in the place. i can't be of much help there..."

  
You laughed at the bad joke. "Just make sure you do something, else administration's gonna have a bone to pick with you."

  
His eternal grin widened. "oh i will. see ya around, ____."

  
"See ya, Sans."

  
And you headed back to your desk, content that you had someone to share in the bad jokes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What was that darkness, hmmmmmm?
> 
> JK, you probably guessed it.
> 
> Please, let me know what you think, or if you enjoyed it.
> 
> (Edited 12/7, added optional soundtracks)


	2. Return to Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have another dream.  
> It appears something is communicating with you...

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyyu5p-FlnM))

You were back in the grey room. You were scared again, remembering your previous dream. Oh boy, this was one of those dreams where you knew it was a dream. Shouldn't you be able to control it then? You try to imagine a door. But nothing happened.

 

The rasping came back, and the growing darkness. You were scared, but knew by now that you had control and could wake up.

 

"Who's there? What do you want?" You shouted into the growing darkness.

 

The rasping paused, as if thinking of a response. The darkness kept growing.

A sharp sound responded suddenly, loudly. You flinched. It stopped, in response to you.

It came back, softer.

 

"...c... you... under... nd me?" It sounded like a garbled phone message, crossed with sandpaper and television static.

 

"I think I can hear you. But I can't see anything, it's so dark, and it keeps getting darker..." You looked around.

 

"... In..erest...ng."

 

"So, what is this dream about? I know it's a dream now, and I want to know what you want." You asked the darkness.

 

It took a moment to respond. "How... sh... I ...ow? B.. this... isn't... dr..m..."

 

You made a face. "Isn't a dream? Of course it is. I'm sleeping now and can wake up any time."

 

The voice became clearer. "It... isn't... for me. I... never saw.... another soul... here..."

 

"How can you see me, but I can't see you?"

 

It made a scratching sound you realized was laughter. "You ... do see me. I am..."

 

You looked around. You looked up and down. It was entirely black. Deeper than black, even. Like space. But maybe even with less light. Your own body was gone now, you realized. You couldn't see you arms or legs.

 

You had a thought. "If this isn't a dream for you, what is? Today at work I saw darkness and heard ... what sounded like your voice..." You didn't believe you were doing this... talking to something as fake as a dream about your waking life. But this did feel different...

 

You felt a reverberating.... emotion. Something uneasy, but it wasn't from you. It was from whatever was talking to you.

"H..how... I saw... a computer monitor..."

 

Your heart rose in your non-apparent chest. If this was a dream, you were getting very weirded out. It sure didn't feel like a dream anymore.

"Th-that was my computer... at my desk... am I dreaming? Are you my subconscious, trying to freak me out?"

 

It laughed again. "I'm... afraid not. I am... something else."

 

You felt your heart beat louder and faster. Your vision pulsed, even in the darkness.

The strange wave of emotion hit you again, this time of concern.

 

"Do not be... afraid. I can't... and won't hurt you... human..." The way it said human made you think it was definitely not human.

 

You saw something, for the first time in a while. Two ghosty white figures, trembling, with darkness in their centers. The grew larger and more resolved, until-

You woke to your dark room again. Your breathing was heavy, and a fine layer of sweat coated your chest and face. Your heart was pounding.

Some part of you tried to reassure yourself that it was just a dream. That part of you was small however... the rest of you remembered that in this new age of monsters and magic, pretty much anything was possible. You were afraid that this was true. At least the thing didn't seem malevolent. But it sure was scary.

 

 

\-------------

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ3nw2Y50i0)) 

It was now just him again, dark and alone in the empty void. He had almost been able to materialize himself and show the human the shambles of what used to be his physical form, but... the human must have been so scared that they woke up.

The darkness seemed darker than it ever had before. Why?

Why did the human's presence make this void even more unbearable?

And the human's soul- it was so vibrant. So passionate. So kind.

He thought back to the last time he had seen a human soul- in the lab.

He had performed so many experiments... he felt his guilt well in his dark shell. After all he had done to the souls, after all monsters had done to the children who fell down... There was a human who somehow managed to enter the void. And who could communicate with him. After innumerable stretches of time, someone spoke with him.

And he couldn't bear the silence anymore. He had watched the timelines for far too long.

It was time to try and manifest in this timeline.

He felt determined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another scary dream? What is in store for our dear reader character?
> 
> Also, will probably shift to Gaster's view at some points for variety.  
> And thanks to everyone who kudo'd and commented! I am glad to have received so much response in 24 hours.


	3. An Interesting Bus Ride

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79yeRrGEUBM))

On your way to work, you took the bus, as you did every day. Living in the small city did have its benefits. You chose the only open set of two seats on the left, next to the window. You liked looking out on the city as your mind went though what you had to do at work today. You enjoyed your job, but keeping everything in order required a little extra attention than just being present at work.

As you were mentally running through the list of emails you had to send today, you slowly felt a presence, similar to one where someone is looking over your shoulder. You looked around warily. The rest of the bus was calm. As you looked again, however, you noticed the seat next to you was a bit.. darker than it should be.

Your heart jumped again.

 

In your head, a voice spoke.

 

"Hello, human. I managed to make waking contact." It was clear, but still raspy, and masculine.

You trembled a bit. Then a feeling of uneasiness swept over you, again, not of your own.

 

"I don't mean to scare you. I promised I wouldn't hurt you, remember?"

 

You stared at the dark seat. Softly, you said, "Y-you're from my dream."

 

"Yes. It is quite unusual that I am able to communicate with you or you with me. I figured it was worth the effort to show myself to you when you are fully awake."

 

You gulped. "So... what are you?"

 

It paused. "I am... used to be... a monster. Now, well, I am scattered through time and space. It is a bit of a challenge to hold myself together, even in this shadow."

 

"And... what do you want with me?"

 

"You see, I have never been able to communicate with another soul for years, since I was scattered. For some reason, in your 'dream', you entered my realm of existence. And now I can speak with you. As for what I want... I don't yet know."

 

You nodded slowly. You looked out the window, making sure that you were still on the bus to work and not in a dream.

"... Human..."

 

"Y-yes?"

 

"Would you mind if I knew your name? It seems rude to just call you 'human'."

 

"My name? It's _______. And yours?"

 

"Mine is W. D. Gaster. Gaster is fine, though."

 

You nodded at the empty-yet-not-empty seat. "Nice to meet you formally, Gaster."

 

A wave of pleasantness washed over you. You were beginning to think that these emotion waves belonged to him and not you. "And you, _____."

 

You had a thought. "You said you were 'scattered across time and space', yeah? Is there a way to put you back together again?"

 

"Hmm... I have thought about this in some detail. It could be possible. After all, the core wasn't so hard to design. And it was what destroyed me after all."

 

You gaped in disbelief at the shadow. "You designed the core? Then you must be... the old Royal Scientist..."

 

Sadness washed over you. "Yes..." He didn't continue.

 

"Well," you began, "I am no expert in quantum physics, so I doubt I would be of much help in designing a machine to put you back together..."

 

"That is alright. I have an idea of who could."

 

"Who is that?"

 

"Have you heard of a monster called Sans?"

 

 

\------------

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d7ICrKQV44)) 

Later, that morning at work, you were once again yourself. Your talk with Gaster had unnerved you, yet for some reason, you were excited. It was like having an imaginary friend. An imaginary, shadowy, scientist monster friend who was actually real and split across dimensions.

You could hardly think about work right now. You sat at your desk, watching the clock. You could easily go over to San's desk at any time, but you knew it would be weird if you just visited his desk immediately as the day began. He just started working here yesterday, after all. So you bided your time and worked on paperwork and emails.

 

Suddenly, a voice said, "heya buddy. if you keep working so hard, you'll probably be in for a bone-us."

You looked up to see a grinning skeleton leaning on your desk. His pinprick eyes looked down with a glimmering humor.

 

"Hi Sans. Actually, I have been meaning to talk to you. Man, what time is it..." The clock read 10:30. You had been working for two and a half hours without noticing...

Whoops.

 

"Anyways, do you... want to get coffee or food after work? It would take longer than a break to explain, I think."

 

His eyebrows (do skeletons have eyebrows?) raised. "oh really? you have me intrigued. i'd love to, kid. say, i know this place, a monster grill called grillby's. you in?"

 

"Sure, sounds great. I'll see you at 3 then?"

 

"yep. gotta run now though, plotter 5 needs some cyan ink..."

 

You laughed lightly after him as he sauntered away, hands in his pockets.

 

What were you getting yourself into? It was almost like-

Your thoughts were interrupted when your coworker, Amanda, walked up to you.

"There he goes, to do the job he took from some human..." she huffed.

You were accustomed to hearing about anti-monster sentiment on the television, but until now you had rarely heard anyone, let alone someone you knew, say something so disgusting.

 

You looked her straight in the eye. "He got hired because he was cut out for the job, and the rest of the applicants weren't. It doesn't matter, monster or human."

 

Her sullen eyes narrowed. "You keep on thinking that. I wouldn't get too close to those monsters, if I were you. They're dangerous."

 

"Good thing I'm not you, Amanda." You stretched your face into a fake smile, closer to a grimace. "Have a nice day."

 

She strutted away, clearly offended, but silent. You were grateful. At least she had the smarts to not pursue the conversation further.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to throw in a jerk character at some point, didn't I? *Glares into a corner* Amanda...
> 
> I've had a fair portion of this work written for a while now, so I'm just formatting it and posting... it could do with some refinement, but I'd like to continue writing more so than editing what I've already done.
> 
> Let me know what you think!


	4. Sans' Machine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You talk with Sans about your encounter with the old Royal Scientist.  
> You then proceed to meet a new friend and get swept up in a project.

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMzWK1XYsEk))

At 3 promptly, a short skeleton appeared by your desk. Like, actually appeared. You didn't shout, but your heart jumped a bit.

 

"Oh, man, Sans, you appeared out of nowhere."

 

"i guess i have a knack for it." He grinned. "ready to head out?"

 

You slumped your bag onto your shoulder, and got up. Double checking to make sure your desk was in order, you nodded. "Yep."

 

The two of you walked towards the exit. He was shorter than you by about half a foot, and, you noticed, wore the same blue jacket as you had seen him wear yesterday.

"so, kid," he said, making you think back to reality, "have you been to a monster grill before?"

 

"Nope, I'm afraid I haven't. I've been meaning to, but I never took the opportunity."

 

"aw, that's a shame. the food tastes magical." He noticed your smile at the comment. "but really, it is made of magic. nothin' on the surface like it."

 

"Really?" You hadn't thought of that before. What would magic food be like? Tingly? Would it even be solid?

Before you knew it, you were outside your work place, and on the sidewalk in front of a log-faced building with a neon sign labeled "Grillby's".

"Wha... how... we weren't even outside of the building yet..." You looked around, confused.

 

Sans shrugged. "i took a shortcut. shall we?" He gestured with his head towards the door.

 

You nodded. So that was magic? It was... cool. You went in the door of the grill.

 

It was well-lit, with booths and several tabled, and a bar. Monsters were everywhere, especially dog monsters, along with a few humans. Sans headed towards the bar, and you followed. A monster made of fire stood behind the counter, dressed in a nice vest and shades that somehow stayed on his... face. He was drying a glass with a towel.

Sans addressed the monster. "grillbz, let's have the usual."

 

The fire monster crackled and nodded, and headed to the side.

You continued taking in the restaurant, as Sans spoke up.

 

"grillbz is a whiz with food. i ordered you a burger and fries, hope you don't mind."

 

"That sounds good! Are you getting anything?" You asked, and noticed Grillby returning with a plate with burger and fries, and a bottle of ketchup.

 

Sans didn't answer. He just gestured at the ketchup, asking, "Do you need any?"

 

You were feeling like just a plain burger and fries today, so you shook your head. Sans then picked up the bottle of ketchup and began to drink it. You could feel yourself staring in disbelief. As he finished it, you decided not to say anything. You picked up a few fries instead, and began munching on them. The thing you noticed first was the fact that although they felt, tasted, and looked like french fries, they weighed about as much as styrofoam, like there was less mass. They were solid, but once you swallowed, you felt... not really full, but... more... satisfied? Or maybe .... determined?

 

"so, what was it you wanted to tell me?"

 

You swallowed your fry. "So, have you heard of the old Royal Scientist of the monsters? W. D. Gaster?"

([drastic ST change](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY60oXuzp-o))

His smile faltered for a small second, and the white pinpricks in his eyes disappeared.

"kid, how do you know about him?"

You felt your heart pound. It was very strange to see Sans so shaken.

 

"So... a few days ago, I had this dream. And in it, there was... someone there. A voice. And it talked to me, and I talked to it. It was dark and terrifying, and I thought it was just a dream... until this morning."

Sans' eyes were still dark, and he turned his head to look at the counter.

"And... well, I know it sounds crazy, but on the bus today, a shadow appeared and spoke to me. He introduced himself as Gaster, and the person from the dreams. He apparently is... scattered through time... and space..." You stopped, unsure of if you should continue.

Sans didn't move. You were scared that what you said wasn't good, or proper to say, or...

 

"______... are you sure about that? Gaster... has been gone for a long, long time... we gave up thinking..." He grew silent.

 

Desperate to fill the silence, and what you thought would follow, you said, "Well, he spoke to me, and he seems... alright? I guess? And just as confused as I am that we could speak. He also said that it was possible to maybe put his scattered bits back together, with a machine of some sort... and he said..."

Sans slowly turned to face you. The whites in his eyes came back, but his smile was still more of a grimace.

"He said that you might be able to."

 

Sans slowly slid off the bar stool, turning to the entrance. You turned around too, confused.

"kid, if what you are saying is true.... then you should follow me." He began walking towards the entrance. You were not going to just sit there, so you hopped off your stool and walked behind him.

 

"Oh, what about paying for the food?"

 

Sans turned his head and called out (in a somehow lower voice?), "grillbz, put it on the tab." You turned back, still walking, to see the flame monster nod, and when you turned back...

 

You were standing behind Sans, in front of a small apartment complex. You were still getting used to this, but it was certainly more convenient than having to go places. You followed him in. The lobby was small, with a few couches and tables. You followed him up the first flight of stairs, and then stood with him outside a door. He turned the handle, it clicked open, and he went in, and you, unsure if you should follow, stood outside.

He noticed your hesitation, and said, "come on in. there's nothing tibia 'fraid of."

You went inside, and noticed the sparsely decorated apartment. There was a green couch, clearly used, a box tv, a vas player attached to it, and in the attached dining room, a small stained table and kitchenette. On a side table sat a little rock, and a thick book.

 

"welcome to our apartment." He walked to the couch and sat down. "hey, papyrus, i'm home, and i brought a friend." He smiled at you, knowingly.

([ST change](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib9dr6AuKjk))

You hardly has time to register what he said when you heard thumping, and then a door being swung quickly open. From a door down the hall, a comically tall figure emerged, and shouting filled the house.

 

"SANS! YOU'RE HOME! AND COMPANY? NYEH HEH HEH!" The huge skeleton barreled into the room, walking over to you in only two strides. "IT'S A PLEASURE FOR YOU TO MEET ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" He shook your hand as soon as you were able to extend it. "WHAT IS YOUR NAME, HUMAN?"

 

"Oh, it's... ______," you stuttered out, barely able to keep up.

 

"WELL, IT IS NICE TO MEET YOU, ______! HOW DO YOU KNOW MY LAZY BROTHER? IT IS A MIRACLE HE MEETS ANYONE AT ALL, EVER."

 

You laughed. "We work at the same firm in town. And it's nice to meet you too, Papyrus."

 

Sans spoke. "so, ______ and i are going to be working on a project, so you will probably be seeing her around often, paps." Your eyebrow raised at the "project" part, but you didn't say anything. You assumed it meant that you would be working on the machine to put Gaster back together.

 

"COOLIO." You found it hard to not laugh at a giant skeleton who said that word. "I AM GOING TO GO OVER TO THE TINY HUMAN'S AND TORIEL'S APARTMENT TO ASSIST IN PUZZLE SOLVING. WOULD YOU TWO WANT TO JOIN US?"

 

Sans shrugged. "sorry bro, we've got a skele-ton of work to do, so count us out this one."

 

Papyrus' face contorted in rage. "NOT THAT PUN AGAIN." You felt yourself grin. Papyrus turned to you, clearly disappointed. "AND PLEASE TRY NOT TO ENCOURAGE HIM. GOODBYE, ______ AND SANS!" He then quickly walked out the door.

 

You felt some part of yourself relax. It was a bit intense, talking to Papyrus. But most definitely enjoyable, and entertaining. You were wondering if you were going to get to know these two skeleton monsters better in the next few days- you had a strong feeling you were.

 

Sans was now sitting on the couch. He motioned for you to sit beside him by patting the cushion next to him. You obliged, taking note of this couch's distinct comfiness and odor of... spaghetti sauce?

"so, kid, let me get this straight. you dreamed that a dark thing spoke to you, and then today the dark thing came to life in a shadow and told you it was the former royal scientist, dr. gaster. and this thing told you to tell me this."

You crossed your legs, anticipating that this would be a long talk and you might as well get comfy.

 

"Yep, pretty much. Except he didn't tell me to make it sound like I'm a crazy person. That was my own doing, but, you know, when a voice from your dreams speaks to you in real life, you tend to think you're crazy too."

 

Sans nodded, grin still plastered to his face. "you'd be surprised how crazy the world can be sometimes." He paused. You thought there was a deeper meaning to this, with a backstory or two, but you decided not to investigate.

"but anyways, enough about crazy. dr gaster was-is, i guess- a real monster. and if a shadow crossed over from your dream to real life to convince you, and told you to speak to me, then i believe you may actually be in contact with the guy."

 

"Well, that's good to-" darkness crept into your vision from the edges suddenly. Your mind got a bit foggy, almost like it was seeping into something...

([ST change](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79HNf89l1FE))

Images flashed in your mind, ones of Sans, of strange versions of Sans, with sharp teeth and clothes other than a blue hoodie. Of snow on leafless trees, and caves, and magma. Of monsters of all shapes and sizes and colors. Of yellow flowers, and a hot metal machine, and-

You felt your head hit the armrest of the couch. Suddenly jarred back to reality, you realized Sans was immediately in front of you, with a glowing blue ring in his left eye rather than his normal pinpricks. Your vision was still a bit dark, but the images were gone. A soft pain entered the spot where your head fell.

"____, what happened? are you ok? talk to me." Sans reached a bony hand out to touch your shoulder.

You looked at him, still unsure of what just happened. You blinked.

 

"Hi, Sans. I'm ... ok, I think. Not sure what came over me." You still had your head on the armrest. You realized it was a bit silly to continue to talk while looking sideways, but you decided the stability was worth it.

 

"are you ok now? you look like you saw something strange. was it gaster again?"

 

The darkness faded from your vision entirely now. "I don't know if it was Gaster, but I just felt strange and all of a sudden I started seeing places, and monsters, and weird things.... monsters who kind of looked like you but also not, and... I don't really know. It's gone now I think."

Sans now did not have a smile on his face. It was now a confused grimace.

 

"o....k.... so, can you sit up?"

You used your side muscles to right yourself so you were leaning back in the couch again. Sans sat down beside you again, but this time a bit more on the edge.

"so... you probably saw versions of the underground. i imagine, since you are somehow tied to gaster, you may also share his... memories, maybe. he is scattered through time and space, so there is likely to be things he sees that you have never seen."

You nodded numbly. It was a crazy day.

"but since we are assuming gaster is the one causing this, we can assume that some part of him is in a timeline of the underground. but enough of this assuming... follow me, if you are able to stand."

He stood, offering his hand for you to stand up. You felt better now, and just stood up. He shrugged and retracted his hand, walking to the door. You followed.

([ST change](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcdrVTnIbnA))

Upon walking through the door, you were not in the hallway, but in a dark storage room. (Geez, this "shortcut" thing was handy.) It was also colder. There was a cloth covering something big about 15 feet in front of Sans and you.

"this was a thing i threw together whenever gaster went missing. it was designed to seek him out and then teleport to where his signature was recognized. but it has never worked."

You look around the dark room. Dust and shadows collected in all the corners, but you could tell that the machine had been sitting here for only a while, probably only since the monsters had come to the surface. That was about 3 months ago now, wasn't it?

 

"When did Gaster dissapear?" you ask, feeling the cloth covering the tall machine. It clearly was an old fabric, with stains and light spots dappling the grey.

 

Sans grabbed the cloth. "y'know, i'm not entirely sure... it seems forever ago... at least ten of your years. time seemed to not have as much meaning underground, since there were no seasons and no days or nights." He pulled the cloth off. Under it was ...

The machine appeared to be just a door, with a metal frame connected to a panel on the side which had a series of buttons, blank screens, and unlit lights running the entire side. Wires spewed from many of the screens and lights- clearly it had been through many trials and changes. The door was a typical indoor door- no different than a bedroom door.

You noticed Sans was watching you inspect it. "yeah, i know, not a very impressive machine. but hey, it is supposed to work. the calculations all make sense."

 

You smirked. "Actually, I was thinking it looked kind of door-ky."

 

"hahaha..." he laughed in his base voice. "that was actually pretty humerus. but let's get back to the serious topic."

You nodded, still grinning from that last pun.

"this machine is designed to send monsters through to another timeline. just by stepping through, you could reach an alternate universe. for example, if this worked, and you stepped through, you might end up in the same storage room, but maybe in a world totally different. assuming whoever made that world also wanted a storage closet."

Other timelines.... so this door was a gateway to alternate universes? This was some crazy stuff. But also, you had dreamed of a real monster and he appeared to you in real life and was now giving you visions, so... anything could be real at this point.

"i will give this machine another go- but i will say, since you are in contact with gaster, talking to him in designing the machine could help a skele-ton. can you make contact with him at will?"

Well, you never tried. He was always the one bumping into your consciousness. You told Sans this.

"well, can you try now? it would speed things along if he was here. not to mention ...." Sans stopped talking and his gaze faded away. The pinpricks in his eyes grew very dim, almost disappearing. A few beads of sweat clustered on his skull (how could that even happen?) and you sensed that he wasn't going to continue. Whatever it was, Sans seemed uneasy thinking about it. You wondered if Gaster and Sans were friends before.

"I can try... hold on." You straightened you body to compose it, and shut your eyes. The darkness that greeted you reminded you of the dreams where you first met Gaster. Drawing on this, you tried to reach out with your consciousness to the darkness. You even tried saying things in your head, not unlike how you would sometimes talk to yourself. But this time you were attempting to reach out.

 

"Gaster, are you there?"

 

There it was- a movement. You felt a presence grow closer to your consciousness. It felt like Gaster's- reserved, intelligent, eager for communication- but as it approached you felt it dissipate, weaken. Like it was dissolving.

 

"__-___ .... can't ...... here ..... weak to ..... later...." His voice broke up, and the feelings that you felt along with it.

 

You reached out again, calling for him, but assumed he didn't have the energy to come back. He had talked about it being difficult for him to meet you on the bus- you guessed he still couldn't reform.

Upon opening your eyes, you saw a grinning Sans. "what's the deal? find 'im?"

 

"Nope.... he seemed to try to say something, but from what I gathered he is still too weak to form again after meeting me this morning. Looks like we're on our own for now."

 

Sans let out a deep sigh. "ok then, kid." He turned back to the machine and started to study the wires. "i can try to work on this after work this week. i'd ask for help with it, but i'm not sure who else specializes in quantum timeline-leaping machines infused with monster magic." His eyes darted to the notes of paper taped to a wall that you hadn't noticed before. They had blueprints for the designs clearly, but you could not make out any of the writing.

 

"Yeah, that seems to be a pretty niche field. So.... I guess... I'll ask you how it is progressing at work then. I am of virtually no help in anything technological, unless you need an architectural diagram or something."

 

Sans let out a chuckle. "heh, yeah. i'll let you know if i do. and you can definitely help by communicating with gaster. you said you talked to him in your dream, right?"

You nodded.

"good. keep it up. any communication with him on the machine would be great. or any idea of where the pieces of himself are in the timelines would help narrow our search." He shuffled past you to the wall behind you. Suddenly, you noticed that none of the walls had doors. As the short skeleton noticed you look around, he gestured for you to come over to him. You did. His head came slightly below yours, you noticed as you approached.

"no doors? no problem."

You felt yourself blink and a whoosh of air and blue. In a split second when you opened your eyes you were back in front of your workplace. The smell of gasoline, street, and ketchup mixed. You couldn't help but smile as you felt the setting sun touch your face and wonder at the magic monsters possessed. You closed your eyes and felt the wind curl your hair softly.

When you opened them, you noticed Sans still standing there. He was looking at you, but when he saw you look at him again, he looked away slightly, as if he had been caught staring. You thought it could be the trick of dusk lighting, but a tinge of blue seemed to dust his cheekbones momentarily.

"see you at work, tomorrow, then." His grin was slightly not as wide as it normally was.

"See ya, Sans. I'll let you know if Gaster says anything." You readjusted your bag on your shoulder, forgetting you were originally going home after all of this.

A boney hand emerged from the hoodie pocket to give a soft wave, and he turned and walked away. You too turned, to find the convenient bus stop in the parking lot. Halfway across the lot, realized you didn't have any idea when San's shift was, so you turned back to check-

And sure enough, he had disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, sorry for the long chapter.  
> But I guess if you are here you probably like the long reading, amirite? :)


	5. Colliding Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another dream...

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH_a9SMN-Zg))

The whole way home, you had let your thoughts drift. What was going to happen? Why did any of this happen? How were you going to tell Gaster about these things? What chose you, out of all beings on the planet, to be able to talk with a monster that had ceased to exist on a single plane of existence?

When you entered your apartment, these thoughts still rattled around in your head. You wanted to help Gaster badly, but the way Sans reacted to his name... you weren't sure what that was about. Did they disagree on something? Was it related to Gaster's disappearance?

You shook your head. You needed to shower and sleep. It was somehow later than you thought, almost past 9:30, even though it felt like it had only been an hour you were with Sans.

A part of yourself wanted to fall asleep just to tell Gaster what had happened, and to ask him questions. You then reminded yourself that you had to sleep soon to get enough rest for work- your schedule began at 8:30, and that made you feel slightly more rationalized.

And later, once you settled into bed, you felt yourself slipping to sleep's warm embrace. But you did not feel the presence of a darkness, stooping melancholy like a shadow in the darkest corners of the room.

 

\-----------------

 

Soft currents of dark blew past him. He could feel something stirring in the void, which was unusual, but interesting. He was reaching out to investigate it with his consciousness, when he felt a new, familiar consciousness appear. It was the human.

"Gaster? You there?"

He rushed towards the consciousness. It was indeed the human. She appeared in her physical form, floating in the space that was the void. Ghosted inside her body, he could see her soul, flickering and shimmering in her chest.

 

"I am here, ______." He once again tried to manifest his physical form. "Do not be afraid, I am trying to.... appear..." The darkness oozed into a tall, thin shape.

As he felt his form congeal, he saw horror cross the human's face. He felt terror well up against his own mind. He tried to send a feeling of safety and apology.

Despite the grotesqueness of the form, the human seemed to understand and diminish the obvious fear.

 

"I... think I understand. I'll try not to be afraid. You can show me, I will be fine."

Gaster felt a wave of determination and compassion. With renewed energy, he gained further control of the form. His face came into existence, white and distorted, and his white hands emerged from the melting limbs. He thought about approaching the human, but decided not to, at a risk of scaring her.

 

"This... is all I can do. As close... as I can be... to my true form."

Surprisingly, the human approached him. Her face was still frightened, but he saw that she was genuinely curious and caring. He could feel it as well. Gaster was getting used to this whole "feeling other emotions" since the human appeared. He actually had craved the human's presence. It had been worse ever since he tried to reach out again and failed, when she nearly lost consciousness from the information he tried to share. He was afraid he hurt her.

"Well.... I've seen worse." She smiled, sadly. "And I have good news. Sans has a machine he has been working on to ... travel to different timelines and collect the pieces of you."

 

"Ah, the machine..." Gaster remembered Sans working on it right after he disappeared. Sans was so determined to bring him back, then...

 

"Yeah, you knew about it? He is trying to get it to run, but he says that you would be the best for knowing how to operate it."

 

"Yes, it is actually quite simple. Seeing it from the point of view I do, time and space are nothing more than coordinates within the vast continuum."

 

The human nodded, clearly blindly agreeing with the science he was mindlessly spewing.

"Anyways, I would be delighted to assist Sans, but seeing how I am barely able to maintain-"

 ([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amPH97XxDzU))

Gaster suddenly felt a tug on his piece of soul. It was a bad feeling, sharp, and dark, and aggressive.

But... it was something that was also him.

 

\------------

 

You felt Gaster suddenly change, as if hit with an invisible force.

"Gaster, what's wrong?" You stepped back, instinctively. His cracked face, which had once had a sad, crooked little smile, was contorting into an unreadable expression.

 

With the melting body and crooked face, combined with the feeling of confusion and a new aggressive emotion, you began to feel terrified again.

 

"Y.... you.... should...." Gaster muttered nearly incoherently. His face was beginning to switch back and forth between a fearful expression and a creepy, smiling stare. It was like his face was... glitching.

 

"Gaster, stop, why are you doing this? It's freaking me out..."

 

"Not... trying to...." You felt both his reluctance to act this way and his dark eagerness to do something. "But... you are... so...." His form oozed closer.

 

"What, Gaster, what's going on with you?!" You felt your voice crack in fear as you stepped back.

 

"I'm CURIOUS...." Gaster's face smiled widely for a moment. "What makes YOU think you can help ME?" He grew closer, goopy hand beginning to raise towards you.

This was the stuff of nightmares.

 

"I just... wanted to? But can you stop please, you're scaring-"

 

Suddenly, his face was inches away from yours. The half-shut left eye was as open as it could be, and the right was opened so far that you could see into the eternity that was the white pupil of the eye. You didn't have time to feel afraid. You felt a hand grab the back of your clothes, holding you from retreating. You felt a vicious contentment from him trapping you.

 

"You would try to piece together a monster which has only bared one piece of his soul to you? Did you ever consider that there were parts of him better left ALONE? That this monster DESERVES to be in shreds?" His dark voice cut deep into your mind, not only spoken, but said inwards, resonating within what you guessed was your soul.

 

You closed your eyes, focusing on the emotions present. Your terror, his anger, your confusion, the violence, the hatred.... it was all blending together. You could feel yourself losing grasp. But you felt the presence of the kind Gaster you knew before, the one which was currently reeling in shock. You reached out in desperation, called out for help...

 

And the Gaster you knew took advantage and shoved upwards though the consciousness.

You knew better than to open your eyes. Anything could appear now. You felt Gaster once again become a storm of confusion and anger and darkness and fierceness. The pressure of the hand removed itself from your back. You tried to steady your own emotions- a feat which was not working well. You could feel yourself recovering from the terror, but you were also still quite terrified.

 

The emotional storm was still working away, but you heard Gaster's original voice speak out.

 

"Go.... I will contact you .... for now, I must deal with this...."

 

You didn't need any more encouragement than that. You briefly opened your eyes, but saw nothing but swirling darkness. And then you felt yourself come to consciousness in waking from the dream. Darkness, but not pure, greeted you. Never before had the subtle shades of your dark bedroom been more comforting. You sat up, feeling your arms to make sure that all of you was still present and normal. That this was reality, and no part of you was still trapped in that nightmare.

 

What even happened? It was like Gaster was fighting with.... a new part of...

 

Oh. A part of himself.

 

He had scattered through space and time.... you wondered if this was two pieces of him colliding. It was the most terrifying thing you had ever experienced. The emotions of what he seemed to want to do to you combined with the look on his distorted face....

 

You doubted if you would get any more restful sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part of Gaster seems quite... evil. Why would you ever want to save a monster that has that kind of frightful nature?
> 
> Stay tuned to find out!


	6. The Most Exciting Lunch Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lunch breaks suddenly become more exciting, like everything in your life.

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBpIFIu6ZNc))

A few hours later you found yourself staring blankly at your email inbox, sitting at your desk, mind numbed from all that had transpired. Gaster still had not contacted you since waking from the nightmare-that-wasn't-just-a-dream. You hadn't seen Sans around the office either, which made you wonder if he actually had a shift today, or if he was busy working on the machine.

What was that part of Gaster saying? Why did you choose to help a monster with a scattered soul? That there were parts of him better left alone? That he deserved to be splintered into bits?

The thoughts opened so many uncomfortable questions. Why did you feel like it was necessary to help him? He just seemed so alone... and you seemed to be the only one who could help him. But the fact that, if this WAS another piece of Gaster, you were afraid of what a whole Gaster would be like. The piece of Gaster you knew was so kind and melancholy- but the other piece that appeared last night was downright terrifying. What was Gaster going to become if he was pieced together again? Would he be dangerous? Could you trust him?

 

"______, snap out of it." Sophie was tapping on your desk, seeing clearly just how zoned you were. "How is that email inbox coming? You seemed to be spacing out. Busy day?"

 

You smiled. "Yeah... just... some stuff is going on. Nothing you need to worry about." She raised an eyebrow. "Really, it's fine. I feel bad for letting myself get distracted."

 

"Well, I hope it works out, even if you won't tell me what's up." She leaned on your desk a bit. "So, the new plotter boy has been kept busy lately. They have him... what's his name... Sans- running around all over the place, filling paper rolls and doing inventory. He seems to take it well though, although he still gets so many ugly looks from stupid people."

Ah, so Sans was here today, just busy. And there was plenty of anti-monster sentiment in the office, which disgusted but did not surprise you.

 

"Sophie, do you know when Sans' break is? I was meaning to talk to him about something."

 

She laughed lightly. "That skeleton looks like he is always on break, with the cheesiest grin ever... but I do know he has a break around 12:30 for lunch. Though he always seems to disappear then... I don't know how he does it. Maybe magic?"

 

You smiled and nodded. "You betcha. Thanks, Soph'. I'll try to catch him before he disappears."

 

"No problem, ____. I'll see you later at the meeting then!" She sauntered away. You considered yourself lucky to have her as a friend in the office.

Looking at the clock, you noticed it was 12 already. Your break began now. You could go find Sans now, before he vanished for lunch. But where would he be, if he was sent all over the office?

 ([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ2-SHEkS9k))

"looking for someone?"

You spun in your chair to see the owner of the bass voice, the stocky skeleton with printer ink smudged on his left cheek.

 

"Yeah, I was hoping to find some bonehead I wanted to talk to. You wouldn't know where to find him, would you?" You weren't going to miss a beat.

 

"nah, i live a pretty bonely existence." He grinned widely, seeming to enjoy this pun battle. You couldn't help but laugh a bit at the smudge moving as he grinned.

 

"Not to sound cheeky, but you've got some ink there," you motioned to the spot on your face.

His eyes widened. Blue appeared on his cheeks again. Was that his blush? He tried to rub it off, but his hand would not fix the smudge, and only spread it further. You shook your head as he was further unsuccessful.

He sighed, and for the first time, you saw him open his teeth. A blue tongue emerged and licked his thumb. He wiped his cheek, and the smudge disappeared.

 

"You have a tongue?" You were a bit surprised, given that he was a skeleton, and spoke without even opening his teeth.

 

He nodded. "yep. there's a bit more to me than just bone, thanks to magic." You considered this new information.

"but onward to you- did you make any contact with gaster?"

 

Images of Gaster's melting face, the horrifying grin, and the dark voice that cut through you.... you shivered instinctively, and felt goosebumps and thinking of it again.

"Yes... but it was not as productive as I would have hoped. Something happened to him..."

 ([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onRo-TGqF4Q))

San's eye sockets narrowed, and the grin changed to grimace. "what happened?"

 

"He was fine, and I told him about the machine you were working on- he knew about it, but then... he changed. It was like he was beginning to fight with himself."

Sans' grim face told you that you should continue.

"He began to get even more scary looking and-"

 

"you saw him? what did he look like?"

 

"Uh..." you weren't sure how to make it sound nice, so you just were honest. "He was tall, and made of darkness, and his hands were white and had holes in the palms, and his face was also white, with a smashed right eye and a crooked smile, with cracks running along his face. He looked like he was melting, which I guess is because he was struggling to keep his body..."

Sans leaned against your desk, his face dark and emotionless.

"that barely sounds like him... you said he was 'fighting with himself'"?

 

"Yeah, he started becoming confused, and all of a sudden he lunged at me and began saying some terrifying things... I didn't know what was going on. But at some point the original part of him regained control and told me to leave. It wasn't until I woke up that I thought it might be another part of himself that caused his... change."

 

Sans sighed. "that's rough, kid. i'm sorry you had to go through that. gaster was a ... an ok guy while i knew him- though whatever he is now, i have no idea."

 

"Yeah... but I still want to help him. Did you get any more work done on the machine?"

 

"i tried, but not much. i'm still at a standstill of where i was the last time i tried to make it work."

 

You spun absently in your swivel chair. "I'll try and talk to him again..."

 

"what, now? it might not look professional if you collapse again like you did last time."

 

"Hm, fair point..." You considered this.

 

"since we are both on lunch break, whaddya say we head to the machine? i can get us there in a flash, and be back just as fast. and if gaster can give me any input, it would help me make progress."

 

You nodded. "Sounds good." As you reached over to grab your bag, you contemplated just how strange your life had become. You became friends with a skeleton who could teleport, and was psychically linked to a monster who was scattered through time and space, and vowed to help piece him back together? And now, on your lunch break, you were headed to a mysterious room which housed a dimension-traveling machine to try and make a mental connection with said monster?

You liked that it was a new experience, at least.

 

Sans said, "follow me", and you followed him to the back door exit of the firm. This time, you wanted to keep your eyes from blinking to see just how this teleportation worked.

The door opened, and as you stepped through the outside of your workplace faded into the dark room with the machine and schematics. Huh. It was just that simple.

You sat your bag down in a corner which seemed the least dirty, and began to sit down next to it on the floor, so in case you fell, you wouldn't fall from standing.

"remember, kid, i'm here the whole time, so if anything happens, just say so." Sans kneeled beside you in comfort.

 

"How old are you, Sans?"

 

"psh, what's that got to do with anything?"

 

"Calling me 'kid' seems a little misplaced. I was curious how old you were, anyway."

 

"ah, don't worry about that. it's an old habit. just focus on contacting gaster." He stood up and leaned against the wall next to you.

 

Ignoring the fact that he still didn't tell you his age, you begrudgingly closed your eyes.

The darkness that greeted you gave you bad memories, but you still searched for Gaster's consciousness.

 

"Gaster?"

You felt a stir, and then a rush. He was here.

 

"_______, you're back... I thought..." You felt surprise and happiness. You didn't see anything, but it was like having him in your head as well as your own mind.

"It's ok, I think I understood what happened. It was another piece of you, right? And you fought for control?"

 

"You are correct. It is gone now, I managed to fend it off. It was a.... rather unpleasant part of myself, as you experienced. I am sorry you had to deal with that."

 

"It's ok, I've seen worse." But you could feel yourself lying. He could too.

 

"You don't have to be kind for my sake, please, be honest with me. And what about this machine? Sans needs my assistance?"

 

"Yeah, he does." You thought about how you could communicate between them. Gaster seemed to sense the thought pattern as well.

 

"Ah, I see. Well, since we seem to have a stable connection, why don't you try opening your eyes? If I recall correctly, I saw through them before, when I looked at your computer monitor."

 

"Oh yeah..." You slowly opened your eyes. Just like then, the edges of your vision were far darker than normal, which you assumed was from Gaster's presence. You looked at the wall in front of you.

 

"Interesting..." Gaster said in your head, giving off a feeling of curiosity. It was like having an internal walkie-talkie with emotions attached.

 

You looked towards the machine, and then towards Sans, who was watching you, clearly about to say something.

"Ah, Sans...." You thought about how to phrase this... "Gaster is ... here." You pointed to your temple.

 

"uh... hey G." You felt Gaster's emotions hit a speed bump when you looked at Sans. You couldn't understand what they were, they were so garbled.

 

"Tell him, 'hello, Sans' for me, please." You repeated the message.

 

Sans rubbed the back of his head with his hands. "... man... thought i'd never..." he grew silent.

 

You spoke up. "Well, I know that you two obviously have a lot to talk about, but for the sake of time, can I show Gaster what you need help with?"

 

You felt Gaster readjust himself, and agree. Sans too nodded and walked to the machine, and you stood and followed, careful to keep your eyes on the machine for Gaster's sake.

 

"The biggest problem is what system of coordinates to use- I have had it programmed for linear, quantum-dynamics, and adjusted for the rate of expanse-"

 

Gaster interrupted your listening by speaking. "Try to program it for a system of a three dimensional spectrum- please say that." You did.

 

Sans' eyes widened. "hadn't thought of that. i'll reprogram it."

 

"Also," Gaster spoke, "The input should be five variables, not four. Three dimensions of space, one of time, and one of universe." You repeated this. You were suddenly glad that you didn't have the expertise to understand any of this- you were just the conduit.

 

"anything else, G?" Sans looked to you in anticipation.

 

"Rewire the matrices to adjust for distortion in the fifth input value- you wouldn't want you lose parts of your bodies to the tunneling." You repeated again.

Sans nodded, writing these down on the blueprints taped to the walls.

 

You asked Gaster, in your head, "I sure don't understand any of this, but I'm glad we are on track to putting you back together again."

You felt a wave of sadness creep over Gaster. You couldn't tell what from.

 

"I fear that what happened last night could happen again... and I would not be strong enough to stop it. There are parts of me that may frighten you, or worse." Oh.

 

You smile grimly. "We all have those parts that we'd rather not expose. But I'm fine with that. I'm happy I can help you."

 

A sense of awe and understanding emanated from Gaster. "Thank you, ______. For all of this."

 

"Don't thank me yet, we still have a lot of work to do."

 

"Of course."

 

Sans finished writing, and turned back to you. "it's gonna take a few weeks to make these changes, but assuming that this all works, the machine should be running within the month."

 

"And then?" you ask.

 

"And then I can go retrieve pieces of Gaster and bring them back here."

 

"Actually," Gaster spoke up in your mind, "It isn't that simple. For soul fragments to move through time, they have to be bonded to an already existing soul, preferably one of the other fragments. But they can also bond to other souls." You repeated this to Sans.

 

"so, i can do that."

 

"I failed to mention that separating the soul fragment from a monster soul damages HP a few points, which would not be good for you, Sans." That did not sound good, you agreed, but repeated it anyways.

 

Sans frowned at the news. "you're right... i couldn't handle that kind of damage. but what is the alternative?"

 

Faster hesitated. He didn't want to say something. "Whatever it is, say it," you said to him, "Sans and I can take it."

 

He still felt tense, but replied, "A human can absorb the soul fragments, but they will change the human in return." You sensed where this was going.

 

"Change... how?" You realized you were saying this out loud, while Sans didn't hear what Gaster said.

 

"It is hard to predict- when a human absorbs a whole monster soul, they inherit magical powers and can utilize those of the monster's. They also share consciousness with the monster. With fragments, the effect would be smaller, but still noticeable. And the human couldn't separate from the fragments until all of them formed into an entire soul."

You repeated this to now-confused Sans. So, it seemed like you would be the best bet for this. But it also would mean traveling through parallel universes and all sorts of unexpected things.It would be dangerous, and probably would take a while... but...

What an adventure! And you wouldn't have to take off work, if you had time traveling capabilities.

 

"I'd like to do it then. If you're ok with than, Gaster, me 'absorbing your soul' and all. I mean, I am kind of connected to you now, so how much different would it be? Besides, I'm always down for an adventure."

Gaster emanated a lot of concern and fear, more than you expected. Sans also had a similar facial expression.

 

"Are you sure abou-" "-may not be a good idea, kid-" "-you could die and your soul could be-"

 

"Guys, I'm ok. Look, Gaster has been gone for at least 10 years- that much life missed, that much experience lost, not to mention the fact that the monsters lost their Royal Scientist who was responsible for one of the most significant inventions of all monster-and-humankind... I'd be honored to help bring him back, even if it is dangerous." You meant every word. You felt like these two were some of the most genuine beings you ever met, despite knowing each of them for less than week.

 

"kid, you don't even know what the underground is like... or what other timelines could hold. even i don't know that." Sans had a pained expression.

 

"Gaster can help me there. Remember that knowledge dump thing? I remember that stuff. Give me some time to learn, and I can be prepared. I want to do this."

 

Gaster still oozed concern, but accepted your decision. If nothing else, you figured, he sensed your passion. A bit of awe crept into him, you could feel it.

 

Sans sighed. "it's up to you, kid. i'll do what i can to keep you safe."

 

A thought crossed your mind- you were still on lunch break. Talking about keeping safe...

You glimpsed at your watch. It read 12:45- a quarter till when your break ended.

"Ah, I forgot that time and schedules matter. Forgive me." Gaster commented, apologetically.

 

"It's ok," you replied in your head. He was so considerate, and you thought it was good you had this monster stuck with you rather than another one. You radiated a bit of happiness at the thought, which Gaster registered, but confused him.

 

"Sans," you spoke, "we should head back to work."

 

"right-o. ready to go then?" He walked back towards you, and gestured with his head towards the wall which was somehow where the exit was.

After hoisting your bag on your shoulder, you nodded, and followed him over.

 

"Ah, I'm not sure how teleportation will affect our connection," Gaster noted.

 

"Oh, right. Let's try it anyways, maybe? By the way, you have stayed clear this whole time, do you know why?"

 

A tinge of pride appeared. "I think I'm getting better at establishing the link between us- you should be able to call me anytime now. If we do get 'disconnected', as it were, I should respond quickly."

You laughed quietly at the feeling of pride, and the mention of disconnected.

 

"It's like some elaborate mental phone call system, eh?" you mused.

Before he had a chance to respond, you were back inside your firm. But your vision still had dark corners, and you still felt Gaster emotionally.

"A success." You felt that happy feeling of pride again.

You smiled. Sans turned back to you.

"well kid, i'll keep you up to date on the machine. wanna exchange numbers?"

 

You pulled your phone out. "Sounds good. Here, enter yours." You handed it to him.

 

As he typed away, you noticed the sly Amanda cross the hallway in front of you, sneering at the two of you standing there. You smiled back. Thankfully, Sans didn't notice.

He handed back your phone, complete with a number, a picture of him winking that you didn't notice him taking, and the contact name "Sans the Skeleton".

 

"Alright, I'll text you back with my number later. In the mean time, I've got to eat something in 10 minutes..."

 

"ah, sorry 'bout that..."

 

"No, no, don't worry. I've eaten faster, plus I have lunch at my desk." You smile happily. You actually had an apple and a granola bar as a snack there, but that seemed to be as close to lunch as you were going to get today.

 

"alright. see you around, ______." He turned to go, and gave a small wave.

 

"See ya, Sans." You turned, heading back to your desk. You still saw the darkness, but it didn't bother you that much anymore. It was like having tinted glasses.

 ([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onRo-TGqF4Q))

"I would hardly call an apple and granola bar 'lunch'," Gaster piped up.

 

"Now you can see my thoughts now too, huh?" You rounded the corner to your desk. Sure enough, there sat your food. After sitting down, placing your bag in it's spot, and starting to devour the granola bar, you decided it was a good time to talk to Gaster. First, however, you sent a text to Sans' number, saying, "Hey bonehead."

 

"So, now you're able to stay connected indefinitely?"

 

"I wouldn't say that, but at least for a few hours I am able to maintain a stable connection."

 

You thought. "So... how much different would absorbing your soul be? I mean, I don't know how we are connected now, but I can't imagine it being much different."

 

Uneasiness spread through Gaster. "I am unsure. The last time a human absorbed a monster soul was during the Great War, and it was long, long ago- I was not in the war directly to experience it, being a medical doctor at the time, but... I heard of the devastation they caused. A being with a human's determination and a monster's magical power... they devastated the battlefield." You felt sorrow wash over you. Part of it was your own- you had no idea about the devastation humans caused the monsters. It was long before your time. Gaster must have been older than you thought... but maybe monsters aged differently.

 

"But also," Gaster said, "I don't know how it would feel once we were sharing the same body. It seems like it would be similar to our current situation- having emotional, visual, and sensual connection... er, forgive me, that sounded..." You could feel the awkwardness rise from both of you.

 

"Uh, haha, yeah, no..." You stuttered. "I get it, 'cause we are connected in senses, yeah. I got you..." The feeling of awkwardness still lingered, but was eased a bit.

 

"Moving on, I think that perhaps the most efficient way of giving you information about the underground and what to expect from inter dimensional travel would be progressing with absorption as soon as possible. That is, if you are comfortable with it." He felt concerned that you might not be.

 

You finished your granola bar in a single awkward bite. Then you started on the apple with a strong crunch.

"Yeah. I mean, it doesn't hurt or anything, right? Are there side effects?"

 

"I am once again unsure of the answer. But I will do everything I can to make it as simple and painless as possible. As for side effects, you may notice some magic abilities and physical changes appear. Also, I will always be able to communicate with you like this, rather than in the dream state or during the limited waking time."

 

You gulped, conveniently having apple to swallow. This was a big deal. It was like having a body roommate. Oh, your body... not that you had serious body image issues.... but it might be weird having someone... with you at all times. Like, in the shower. And in the bathroom. And everywhere.

He sensed this, of course. "I will try my best to not be intrusive or invade your privacy, I promise you. And of course, we have our own mental privacy that we may have to develop." He radiated honesty.

 

You nodded. "Ok, let's talk about this more later, for now I have to work-"

 

"Thinking too hard, _______? Who are you nodding to?" Amanda appeared by your desk. Great.

 

"Just keeping myself organized." You bit your apple nonchalantly as you stared her down.

 

She smirked. "It might be better if you organized yourself not to hang around that monster- people may question your ability to ... prioritize."

 

You chewed mindlessly, but with intent. Irritation rose in your chest. "My ability to prioritize is top-notch. My ability to understand how people like you feel it necessary to demean an entire race of beings... not so much."

 

"There was a reason we locked them underground- they're vicious, untreatable murderers. You would remember how many children their king killed." Venom rose in her voice. You felt a strong, welling feeling of sadness in Gaster. It threatened to make your eyes tear up.

 

You looked at the clock. 1:02. "I refuse to blame an entire race for the actions of one of them. I will, however, say you killed two minutes of my time on this earth with this conversation. Have a good day, Amanda."

 

She glared, her beady eyes narrowing. "Someday you will realize I'm not on the wrong side." She huffed away. You could still feel the remorse from Gaster pooling inside you.

 

"Gaster, are you ok? Amanda is a pretty bad human being..."

 

He paused, gathering himself. "... I think it would be best for us to continue our conversation after your work is done. I will talk to you then."

In an instant, he vanished. Your vision grew brighter again, and you could feel only your own emotions. It felt almost... emptier than before.

Oh well. It was back to work for now- only a few more hours and you could leave. You had planned to grab dinner with Sophie anyways. Gaster clearly was upset by something that Amanda said- which didn't surprise you at all. Hopefully he would be better by this evening.

You could only hope and wait until then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sans has tongue. Surprise, you all already knew that.
> 
> Myeeh heh, see the tension I made there with "sensual"? Myeh.
> 
> And oooh, soul bonding. Doesn't that sound fun? I mean you're already connected to the guy, what could go wrong? ;)


	7. Bonding

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_TTLS_oHR8))

Dinner with Sophie was great. You had good conversations about work, about how stupid Amanda was, about what good puns you heard from Sans (which she said were all terrible, but you knew she secretly liked). She quizzed you about the "stuff" you had going on, but you refused to budge. You considered telling her that you were going on a dangerous mission soul-bonded to a monster who was scattered across space and time and you met in a dream... but then decided against it. Some things were better left unknown.

By the time you got home, you were pretty tired. The sun was also just setting. You wondered if Gaster could see the sun, or if he could see anything ever, being trapped in that void constantly. You found yourself often wondering how Gaster kept sane for the years he was trapped. It must have been so lonely. At least now he had you to pester him.

Since you lived alone, you decided to speak out loud.

 

"Dialing Gaster.... come in... Do you read me, Gaster?"

 

A consciousness came to you, and darkness fell over your house.

"Yes, I am here."

 

"Great." You stood up, and looked out your window at the setting sun. "Can you see this?"

 

You felt awe pulse through you. "I can. It is quite a marvelous sight. Although it is not advisable to look directly at the sun, from a health perspective."

 

You grinned. "Ah, so you are a doctor after all. Good to know I'll have you to help in case I get in medical emergency."

 

Panic arose in him. "No, no, please, do not rely on me for knowing how to heal humans... monsters maybe, but..." you felt guilt well up inside him, but he quickly hid it.

You smiled sadly. This guy... he was so hard on himself.

 

"So, I thought about the absorbing thing- we can do it now, if that is ok. I think, like you do, that it would be easiest to share info by doing this. And I'm prepared for whatever happens."

 

He seemed uneasy. "Are you sure? I don't want you to feel forced- I know that for whatever reason we have this link, you don't have to be the one to get involved, although you may feel obligated to..."

 

"Gaster, I want to. I think that bringing you back is worth it. Plus, if I had to choose any monster-or human, for that matter- that I would prefer to share minds with, you're not a bad choice. Whatever force that linked us, I am glad it did, so I could be a part in helping you leave that creepy void." You gave a push of encouragement and honesty.

 

"I think I understand... but, you realize, that until we find all of my fragments, I cannot leave you, and you may have to deal with parts of me that are... unpleasant, like last night's dream..." His concern and fear washed over you.

 

You gathered yourself. You were a bit afraid of that, but you wanted to help him. He could not have been a wholly bad monster, if this part of himself existed. He was deeply kind, concerned for your safety, and you wanted him to be able to live a real life.

"Gaster, I will be fine. I want to help you live a normal life again. And if I have to share my body and go on a crazy trip across worlds, that is something that I can handle."

 

He responded with immense gratitude. "... Very well. For what it is worth-" You felt a tinge of... embarrassment about being open, "You too would be a good choice. I admire your courage and compassion, in many things." You could feel him reeling emotionally about being that blunt. To prevent that from furthering, you decided to get this back on track.

 

"So, how do we do this?" You turned from the window and sat on your bed.

 

"Well, I have to manage to condense my soul fragment, physically, for you to absorb. You also have to summon your soul to... accept it, as it were."

How on earth...

"Your soul is in your chest, but it is inside you and held in place by your own magical signature. You need to desire to bring it out, and imagine it doing so."

 

"Uh-huh," you looked down at your chest. Your shirt greeted you, not a magical thing. You decided to try and feel for any sort of ... magical thing that would be inside it.

 

"Try and visualize it floating out of your body, and will it to happen."

 

"It's kind of hard without knowing what it looks like..." You felt it was a glowey thing or something magical, but doubted if that was true.

 

"Yours..." He seemed to be saying this, as if looking at it right now... "Is a heart-shaped soul, of larger-than-average size."

 

Ok, we were dealing with a heart shaped thing in your chest. Larger than average, whatever that meant. You closed your eyes, and imagined a heart floating out in front of you from your chest. Suddenly, you began to see it with you eyes even closed. A glowing heart- swirling with greens and golds- appeared in your closed eye vision. You felt a tug on your chest- and a kind of disembodiment. Like one of those ghost-leaving-body things from tv, except you in your body was the ghost, and you were seeing your actual soul from outside.

Upon opening your eyes, you saw it in front of you in the same place.

"I did it!" You said out loud.

 

"Yes, you did. I suppose it is now time for me to do my part. However, if I manifest my fragment, I can no longer communicate with you- all of my energy will be in keeping it intact."

 

"Ok, so, how do I absorb it? Touch it or something?"

 

"Nothing that physical-" he seemed taken aback. "Just imagine both your own soul and my fragment going back into your body. Like what you just did, but in reverse, and with two souls."

You took a deep breath. Looking at your soul, with its pulsating colors, you wondered what Gaster's would look like.

 

"Ok, I think I've got it." You braced yourself. "See you on the other side, Gaster?"

 

You could feel him emotionally smiling, if that was possible. "See you on the other side. And please know that I will try my best to be a good guest."

 

You laughed. "Of course."

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ggQtAhwROA&list=PL2lgH1UFC74zN1VH44KHnV6WghsfXCQDz&index=6)) 

Suddenly, he vanished from your mind. Your vision grew lighter again. As soon as that happened, the dark corners of the room grew darker, darker, yet darker still.

The whole room grew darker. The light from the window was fading, being diminished by shadow.

In the space in front of your soul, a white light emerged. It seemed to suck all the light out of the room and expand. It was tiny to begin with, but once the room resembled the void, the piece was complete. It was a sharp point piece, with cracks veining from the broken edge. It was what you thought looked like the pointy part of the heart, but upside down from yours. Regardless, it looked like it was complete, and you knew you now had to absorb it.

Your heart pounded. It shouldn't hurt that much, right? And you had already shared your mind and emotions and senses with him, so what was there to be afraid of?

You reached out with your mind, feeling the energy of both your soul and the tiny fragment. You pulled them closer, willing them to go into your chest.

They aligned themselves while coming closer- the upward point of Gaster's fragment came close to your bottom point, though still not touching. They were a foot from your chest and you could no longer see the gap between the points. You closed your eyes, bracing for impact-

And then you absorbed them back in your body. In that instant, Gaster's point made contact with yours.

You felt Gaster then- his mind came to yours all at once. It no longer felt as much like a different consciousness- now he was another part of you. You felt the presence of an overwhelming amount of knowledge and experience, as well as several layers of emotion and emotional walls. You also felt a bit lighter, a little less bound by gravity, and a little more tingly and awake. That must be the magic.

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEAf8paImSY))

You dared to open your eyes. Your vision was clear, like it normally was. The bedroom was no longer unnaturally dark. You looked around, checking to make sure everything was in its place. It somehow all looked new and familiar at the same time. You checked your arm and hands- wait...

Your hands were paler than normal. And there was a circle of a line in your skin traced along the back and palms of your hand.

Oh, these were the physical changes. You quickly stood up.

 

(I didn't account for the physical changes to be so drastic or quick), Gaster thought. It was a different feeling, hearing him this time- it was closer to having your own thought, but clearly, it was from Gaster.

 

You wandered to your bathroom. You felt Gaster memorizing the layout of your apartment.

You looked in the mirror, a bit afraid of what you would find. It was clearly your face- but also paler, like your hands, and there was a bit of a line in your skin running up from your right eye, and down from your left on your cheek. It was like a scar that had healed long ago, ghosted on your skin. Weird. Your hair was still the same color and style, though.

 

(This is ... a unique experience), thought Gaster.

 

"Yeah, it is. It's gonna be fun trying to hide these physical changes from the coworkers though..." You spoke aloud.

 

(Why do you speak aloud? I can't hear you any better when you do that.)

 

"It is nice to have some sound in here. Besides, nobody is here to judge me for speaking to myself."

 

(This is true. How do you feel though?)

 

"I'm pretty good. I feel kinda floaty and tingly though, is that magic?"

 

(Yes. And I've never felt this heavy before. This must be what it feels like to be massive...)

 

And suddenly, you felt bad about your body. Massive, huh?

(No, no, I meant, as in, "having mass" massive. I meant no disrespect in any-)

 

"Monsters don't have mass?"

 

(No, at least not close to humans. We are mostly made of magic. I apologize if for making you feel that I was criticizing your body. You have a... good ... body? ....) You could feel his unsureness and awkwardness rise, as well as your own. He just complimented you on your appearance?

He genuinely did. You could feel it just as much as he said it. Huh. It was like you couldn't lie to each other.

You had a thought, suddenly, to diffuse the tension.

 

"Don't worry, I'm not massively offended. And thank you for the compliment."

You felt the shock from the joke. He then genuinely laughed- or, at least, you felt him laugh. And the awkwardness mostly diffused.

You laughed at your joke and his humor a bit, looking at yourself, smiling. You suddenly felt a prick of an emotion from Gaster, but before you could identify it, you felt him hide it.

 

"What was that?" You were curious.

 

(I am simply not used to... interacting with people. I ask for some emotional privacy in some regards.)

You nodded vaguely. You weren't sure what that meant, but by all means, he was entitled to keep some thoughts to himself. You left the bathroom, switching off the light.

You stood in your hall by your living room, looking around to show Gaster.

"Sorry it isn't much, but it's a nice place for a single workaholic."

 

(No, it is lovely. I am curious, however- what is it that you do at your work? I have only seen blurry images.)

 

You sat on your comfortable couch. "I work at an architectural design firm. Mostly writing emails, drawing up plans, coming up with small designs... more tedious stuff than I'd like."

 

(Ah, architecture. A respectable profession. I was a bit of an engineer, myself.)

 

"'A bit'? Didn't you design the core?"

 

(Yes...)

 

You scoffed. "Please. That isn't a 'bit' anything. You're a scientific genius to create that thing, even though I have no idea how it works. Plus, you knew how to fix that time machine thing Sans is building."

 

You felt sorrow emanate from him. (A genius... but then...) You felt him hesitate to say any more. He was deeply bothered by something.

 

"What's wrong? Did I say something? Sorry if I-"

 

(No, you are completely fine. Just... I'm not that great of a monster. Do not think I am because of my creations.)

 

You thought. "I think you're a pretty great monster, not just because of your creations. Don't be so hard on yourself."

 

(_______... you hardly know me.) He seemed to feel very guilty about something. The darkness you could feel from that guilt was seeping into your own emotions. You felt yourself feel a bit guilty.... but for what, you weren't sure.

But that wasn't going to happen.

 

"You're right, Gaster, but we are going to be traveling together for a while. And in the short time I've known you, you have been nothing but kind. Whatever guilt you are feeling now- don't let it stop you from feeling like you deserve happiness." You tried to beam positivity.

It worked. You could feel him rise out of the guilt, encouraged by your words.

 

(Thank you, ______.) You felt him give you an earnest sense of gratitude.

 

You nodded. "No problem." You then lied yourself longways on the couch, getting comfortable.

 

"So, while we are here, getting used to this, why don't you tell me some things I'll need to know for our traveling adventure?"

You felt him search his mind for information. He came back with a lot.

 

(We have quite some work to do. Are you- yes, you are comfortable. Silly question.)

 

You laughed. "Then let it begin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe I'm rushing this, but hey, the plot can progress faster now. Also, the slow burn. The slightly faster than extremely-slow burn.


	8. The Significance of a Sandwich

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESC5t4py0Hs))

This human was absorbing this information incredibly quickly. Gaster showed her all the places in the underground, beginning at the ruins, and then onto Snowdin, Waterfall, Hotland, and the Capitol. She marveled at the sights, and he could feel her excitement well inside her. He had to keep reminding her that the Underground was a dangerous place, especially for humans. But that didn't stop her from picking places that were her favorites. She desperately wanted to see the cave of ceiling stars, and the king's flower garden, and even the sparse woods of Snowdin.

He was amazed that she found the underground beautiful. For himself and most monsters, they thought of it as a livable cage- there were only so many centuries you could live in a place before even the nicest one seemed to stagnate. But he could sympathize that this was a place unlike anywhere on the surface.

The human was... quite interesting to him. To be so selfless as to allow him to basically live in her body, a stranger she had hardly just met... and to be so kind, despite having seen a terrifying part of himself...

He felt a deep-seated guilt that she might get hurt from trying to put him back together. He was aware that she now also possessed limited magical abilities, which he would train her in some point soon. She was very curious about magic, but he advised waiting until another day to learn them.

Being in her body was... quite unique. Humans had a lot more substance to their body, and a lot more complicated systems. The muscles and skin moving, and the steady pulse of the heartbeat, it was all new. He found it both comfortable and slightly strange, having been made of mostly magic.

He also realized, as her body was getting tired, that she had not eaten dinner, and it was getting late.

(_____, perhaps you should eat dinner?)

 

She laid unmoving on the couch. "Hm... yeah, probably." She swung her body up, and began thinking of foods. "What kind of food do you like? I don't have any monster food..."

 

(That is fine. Humans and monsters can both eat human and monster food for sustenance. Although, human food is good for maintaining physical form, while monster food is good for replenishing magic.)

 

She got up off the couch, seemingly dissatisfied with the answer. "That's good to know, but you still haven't answered my question."

 

Hmm... food... he hadn't had any in so long...

(Whatever is available that you prefer most. I haven't tasted anything for years... so I wouldn't trust myself in preference.)

 

She got excited. "So, I get to choose, huh? Great news for you, I have a very exciting and diverse selection." She seemed amused.

 

(Oh?) He imagined that perhaps she would keep some unique foods in her home. He could not guess any human foods, however.

 

"Yep." She walked over to the pantry in her kitchen, and opened the door. A small amount of boxed goods stared back at him. "All the gourmet that boxed mixes and cereals can buy! Plus, I have enough bread to make a sandwich or two, and maybe some fruit." So, she was kidding about the exciting and diverse selection. But it didn't bother him, he hadn't eaten anything in years.

She began pouring a sugary kind of cereal into a bowl decorated with a single green stripe around the rim.

(I imagine you do not cook much?)

 

"Not as much as I'd like, thats for sure." She began making a sandwich. "The work at the firm keeps me busy, and I go out for food with coworkers often. Do... Did you cook much?" He could feel the concern that she might have said something offensive. He was not in the least bit offended- he was actually grateful for the question. It had been so long since having a normal life, sometimes he forgot he used to have one.

 

(I... enjoyed cooking. I liked baking dishes, especially. Casseroles, soufflés, breads, quiches... It has been a while.)

 

She sliced up a pear into a dish. "Those sound fantastic... I wish I knew how to bake things. I'm only good with stovetop or making things in rice cookers..."

 

He had a thought. (I ... could teach you how to bake, if you wished, sometime...)

 

He could feel her smile. "That would be amazing, thank you, Gaster." She placed everything on a plate and stretched, feeling tired. Gaster was amazed how great it was to feel things again, even if he was just a guest. The simplest things, like not seeing only darkness, or having someone to talk to, were changes that he found highly enjoyable.

She sat down at the table, with cereal, sandwich, and pear, and took a bite of the sandwich. It tasted... quite good. Not fantastic, but good. He then remembered he was actually experiencing this, and not imagining it. He could hardly believe it... how did this human come to let him have anything resembling a life again? After all these years he gave up hoping...

 

"Gaster ... are you getting emotional... over a sandwich?" She questioned after swallowing. He also realized there were tears in her eyes, and that her voice was cracking. "Am... I getting emotional over a sandwich?"

 

(Oh, I didn't realize... I'm so sorry, _____, it's just been so long since I've felt anything.... I didn't mean to upset you...) He felt quite bad for making the human nearly cry.

She then started laughing.

\--------------

You found yourself laughing on the verge of already-tears, thinking about how absurd this was, sharing your experience with a man who had not tasted anything in years and who obviously would me moved by any new experience...

"I'm so sorry," you choked out between laughs, "It's awful of me to laugh... It's just.... I'm glad to get such a profound feeling from eating a normal sandwich..." You sobered up. "Geez, I can't imagine, not having felt anything for so long... of course any experience would mean more to you..." You felt guilty for laughing.

Gaster radiated reassurance. (No, please, I understand. I am... still used to dealing with emotions that affect you... It's incredible to experience things again.) You felt better.

 

"Well, if a sandwich caused this reaction in you, I wonder what tomorrow will bring. My life to me is pretty simple, but..."

 

(I will try to the best of my ability to keep my emotions in check, I promise you.)

You took a bite of pear. He seemed to like this even more than the sandwich. You laughed a little bit more, still amazed that someone could find eating to be so impactful. At the very least, it helped you remember how nice being alive was.

As you finished your meal and put the dishes in the dishwasher, you headed to the bedroom. Thoughts of... privacy crossed into your mind. Gaster sensed this as well.

 

(I will withdraw myself from your conscious senses for the evening, as to give you privacy.)

 

"Ah, thanks. I appreciate it... I guess we both need to set up some "house rules" in our shared head, as it were?" It was indeed like having a very, very intimate roommate.

 

(Yes, that would be agreeable. Would you like to do that later? You seem rather tired.)

 

"Yeah, that sounds good. I am pretty tired. We can talk about it tomorrow morning, if that works." You yawned, and stretched out on your bed.

 

(In that case, have a good night, ______.) And with that, you felt his feelings sink away behind a wall. It was almost like being back to just you, but he was clearly still in there somewhere. You appreciated the privacy, and also was unused to being so emotionally alone as you talked to him for several hours.

 

As you got ready for bed, you took a shower. The changes to your body were mostly just the pale skin and faint scars, but the new magical tingling was going to take some getting used to.

Later, you settled into bed, quite tired from the day's events. You wondered what your dreams would be like. You also thought about how exciting it was going to be to visit the underground and alternate universes. Your heart thumped a bit harder, but you reminded it you had to sleep.

Soon, your consciousness faded into blissful darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course he would get emotional over the first sandwich of 10+ years. How unthoughtful of you.


	9. *Author's Note*- New Soundtracks

*Hey everyone-

 

([Cue soundtrack for fun](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2urgkZfgF4Y))

Thank you all for your support and reading! I've really enjoyed writing this and hearing that people enjoy it :3

Although my life is a current mess and I can't post another chapter until probably this weekend, I will be enriching the existing chapters by adding optional soundtrack links. The songs will likely be mostly undertale soundtrack remixes, but also will include other genres.

Right click on them and open them in a new tab, and enjoy!

I thought this might add a new level of storytelling to the work, please let me know your thoughts! I know it's a bit annoying to go from tab to tab, but hey, think of it as an experiment. Gaster loves experiments.

Happy reading/listening,

-WTEB


	10. Keep Asking Questions

All you could see was darkness.

 

You tried to see any part of your own body, but even that was gone.

What you could see was the glow of your own soul, however. The light cast from yours was...

White.

Green and Gold.

White.

And Gold and White.

Green.

It was all flickering back and forth, some of the colors blending and fading and growing. The light wasn't cast on anything, but you could... feel the colors somehow.

And then you felt a tug-

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UXrPX1VJ4c))

You were in a laboratory. A desk with a monitor was against the wall. It was the familiar to you. Yet, somehow, it was ... different.

A voice filled the room. It was a deep, soft female voice.

 

"A-ah, I have to check on the amalgams... they are probably pretty hungry by now..."

 

You turned to see a tall, lean, blue fish woman in a lab coat grab a bag of what appeared to be pet food. Her red hair was tied in a bun, and sideswept bangs covered most of her forehead.

 

You also recognized her, but something seemed off. She did not recognize that you were even there.

As she disappeared into a dark doorway, you felt another tug.

Your vision stretched and distorted, and suddenly you were in a new place.

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O5ZpxS00VE))

You were outside a house covered in snow. Two mailboxes were there, one neat and tidy, and one overflowing with mail.

The door crashed open, and a small blue monster tumbled out.

It looked a lot like... Sans?

 

"NYAH HAHAH! PAPYRUS, I AM OFF TO GUARD THE ENTRANCE TO SNOWDIN." His voice was deep like you remembered, but had an edge similar to that of Papyrus... what a strange dream. As he barreled away, he passed by you.

As soon as he was close to you, he slowed his quick pace, and turned towards you. His eyes tried to find something, but it was clear that he could only sense your presence and not see you.

He then shook his head, giving up, and walked onwards.

Then a second figure stood in the doorway, light behind by the light from inside.

 

"take care, bro." It was a monster that looked like Papyrus, but dressed and spoke like the Sans you knew. How odd.

Suddenly he disappeared.

And then reappeared, right behind you.

As you quickly spun, you saw that he too couldn't see you, but his eyes searched nonetheless. He towed above you, looming a little more intimidating than you preferred.

 

"and you, whatever you are, better take care to stay away from m y b r o t h e r ."

 

(I didn't ...)

Your voice came out like static, harsh and alien. It was hardly recognizable, even to you.

 

(... Hello?) It sounded terrifying, like some garbled telephone message that played on a horror flick. You were scaring yourself by speaking.

Your vision flickered out, and no longer was Papyrus staring at you.

 

YOU were staring at you.

 

It was your own face- both of them. The human face was meshed with cracked, mask-like white features.

Your irises were (y/color) rimmed with glowing white, face contorted in a small smile, gaping slightly. Cracks stretched from both of your eyes, cutting through your pale features. Behind your face was only darkness.

 

(And what are you doing here, oh curious one?) Your face spoke to you. It was just as garbled as your own was.

 

(What... is going on?) You asked yourself.

 

It smirked. (Make an assessment... you're talking to yourselves. And everything you knew is swapped.)

You stared at your opposing face. It gave nothing away. Somehow, looking at yourself like this did not scare you as much as you thought.

 

(I...) you thought. (We... don't know. How is any of this happening? Why?)

 

The other you laughed, and its face started to fade.

(Keep asking questions...) The voice grew clearer and less distorted.

 

"And you will find yourself at the answer."

 

As it faded entirely away, the voice echoed in your head.

(End ST)

 

 

You opened your eyes to dim daylight slipping in your bedroom window. You could almost still hear the word "answer" repeating itself.

Gathering energy, you pushed your covers away, yawning.

 

(That was a strange dream...) Ah, Gaster. He was with you in the dream too.

 

"Sure was... my dreams are never normal anymore..." You couldn't remember your last dream that didn't involve Gaster.

 

(In the void, I never dreamed... I almost forgot what it was like to dream.) He seemed melancholy, aching for something in the past.

You got up, and trudged to the bathroom.

 

"Well, you can now experience my wacky dreams front-and-center, how lucky for you!"

You turned on the light.

 

"Do you mind...?"

 

(Ah, of course. Let me know when you are done.) He withdrew his consciousness.

You smiled. This was a funny way to live. But you didn't mind it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOL, not posting till the weekend.  
> I find myself addicted to writing this. 
> 
> Also, dreamscapes are so great to write. so abstract.


	11. A Helping Hand

Before you knew it, you were back at work. Projects had been picking up speed in the past couple of days, and since your mind had been preoccupied with the craziness of monsters and time-travel, you hadn't put much thought into just how much work you had to do. Not to mention it was Friday, and everyone was in a rush to finish so they wouldn't have to work over the weekend.

Gaster stayed mostly quiet, keeping to himself while he watched you work. Sometimes he asked small questions about projects, but not often enough to distract you.

Living with Gaster in your head was becoming familiar to you- but keeping yourself from speaking out loud was a bit of a challenge. Perhaps it wasn't best to talk out loud to him at home, because you now found that it was a hard habit to break.

Another struggle was how much makeup you had to apply to cover the scars and paleness that you had acquired from Gaster. It took a lot more than you thought it would, far more than you usually used. You hoped Sans would finish the machine soon so you wouldn't have to keep up this charade and blow more money on concealer.

And Sans... you hadn't seen him all day. You shot him a text in the morning, asking if he had a shift today, but he didn't respond- and you were hoping he was either sleeping or his phone was dead.

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNgPTCrGXjU))

For lunch break, you decided to go to a nearby cafe with Sophie. It had only recently opened, and you heard good things about it from your coworkers. At least, the ones that deigned to go to a cafe owned by a spider monster. Muffet's Pastry Parlor, as you heard, scared quite a few human customers with the amount of spiders and spider decor, but you weren't that afraid of them.

When you two arrived, inside the cute purple cafe was a few monsters, a few humans, and a very particular human and monster pair that you recognized.

It was a tall goat monster, with fluffy white ears and small horns, with a flowing purple gown, and a human child in a striped sweater. They were Toriel, Queen of the Monsters, and Frisk, the child diplomat who saved monsterkind from the underground. They often appeared on television to discuss human-monster relations.

Sophie, of course, also recognized them.

 

"______, oh my god, is that Frisk and Queen Toriel?" She whispered and poked your side.

You nodded silently, trying not to cause too much of a stir. Nobody else in the cafe seemed to care that they were there. They were browsing some of the doughnuts on the left side of the shop, Frisk clearly trying to decide, with a frustrated-looking face gazing between strawberry and a purple one that you didn't recognize.

 

"Let's see what they store owner recommends," you said, nudging Sophie towards the cashier counter. She followed, and a purple and black monster with five eyes and six arms greeted you. Everything about her screamed spider, but she also had a sort of cute charm about her.

 

"Ahu-hu, welcome to my shop, dearies. What can I help you with?" She smiled, baring her... fangs?

Sophie looked around, amazed by all the selections. The menu behind the she-monster was long and filled with tasty-sounding items.

 

You spoke up. "What do you recommend? Everything looks amazingly tasty, but it is hard to decide."

 

She laughed softly. "Our spider doughnuts have been quite popular lately... but I am unsure which you might prefer. I have an idea as to who might, however, ahu-hu-hu." She gestured towards Frisk, who had finally chosen the purple doughnut. Frisk noticed her gesture, and immediately bounced over, lightly dragging Toriel by the gown.

 

"My goodness, please excuse my child, they can be very passionate about making friends," Toriel spoke. Her warm voice made you feel so loved.

 

Before you could respond, the child placed the doughnut on a plate on the counter, and immediately began signing to you and Sophie. Although you never learned sign language, you could understand what the child was saying.

"The purple ones are my favorite. You have to try them, they are made of spiders!"

 

Your face immediately blanched. However, nobody could tell, because of your coating of makeup.

"Really? Made of spiders?" You glanced at the shop owner.

 

"They are made of spider magic, dearie," she commented, "Not of spiders themselves. Ah, you have such a curious imagination, Frisk, ah-hu-hu!"

 

Frisk huffed and put their hands on their hips.

"_____," Sophie prodded you again, "I didn't know you could read sign language! But if the kid chose it, they have to be good, right?"

 

You nodded. You didn't respond about the reading sign language... you weren't even sure how you understood.

"______, that is a beautiful name," Toriel smiled at you. "And I by no means want to force you to choose the pastry my child wants you to, but I must say, the purple ones are quite good. In the underground, monsters didn't have access to the diversity of foods that are on the surface, so Muffet could only make the purple ones. Many of us enjoyed them nonetheless."

 

Convinced, you nodded. "Well, Sophie, I guess we should try them! I ... _doughnut_ know about you, but they sure sound good." You grinned widely.

 

Everyone there immediately groaned, except for Toriel, who broke out laughing.

While everyone was still reeling from your pun and groaning or laughing, you picked out two of the purple doughnuts on plates for you and Sophie, and proceeded to pay for both of them, in addition to Frisk's doughnut.

 

"Goodness, my dear, you don't have to pay for that," Toriel's face was concerned, but grateful.

 

"After that pun, I felt that I had to. My treat!" You handed Muffet cash, and handed a doughnut to Sophie and Frisk. "And as a thank you to our little gastronomical guide, here."

Frisk smiled widely, and signed with one hand a quick thanks. They then walked to a table with their mother. The tables here were bar-level high, so Toriel picked up Frisk and placed them in the chair, where they began to munch away on the pastry.

Sophie and you also headed towards a table, a bit away from theirs. Crumbs dusted the table, so after you placed you doughnut, you began sweeping them off.

However, as you swept, you hand caught the edge of the plate and pushed it off the table. As you dove for it, your arm was not fast enough to catch it.

 

But something did.

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA-ZOLsjQoQ&index=6&list=LLGD9L23LXJgAKbtj77S1wtg))

A ghosted, transparent hand with holes in the palm caught the plate a foot off the ground. And some part of you could feel the sensation of the hand holding the plate.

 

In a microsecond, you realized Frisk had watched this whole thing happen. You froze, but then quickly picked up the plate from the ghosted hand. As soon as you did, the hand disappeared.

 

Sophie, who was still taking off her coat, didn't see anything, and neither did anyone else, but you could see Frisk's surprised face, even though they continued munching. Toriel, you noticed, had gone to buy a drink, and also did not see anything. You winked, and put a finger to your lips, gesturing to keep it a secret.

Frisk smiled, knowingly, and put a sticky finger to their mouth as well, nodding.

As you took a bite of the doughnut, you were glad to have a friend in Frisk.

 

 

\--------------

 

 

Once you were back at work, you sat down at your desk. You could feel that Gaster was more alert now, but hadn't said anything since the magic hand appearance.

(Ok, so, Gaster...) you thought to him.

 

(Yes, that was indeed magic. Though, how a fallen pastry could have triggered that, is something only you can answer.) He seemed ... surprised.

 

(What? And just let it fall? That was a good doughnut...) You were defensive about the doughnut.

 

Gaster laughed. (Yes, it was. But it is not what I imagined your first use of magic to be.)

 

You sniffed. (A good use, by any means. And I think Frisk will keep it a secret, for sure. Seems like a great kid.)

 

(I hope so. Having to explain how a human uses magic... something that has been lost to mostly all humans for centuries... it would be inconvenient.)

 

(But summoning hands? Is that your magic? If so, that is soooooo convenient. You could do so many things at once! And reach things far away... all sorts of cool stuff.)

 

(That is only part of it. It is the most basic of my abilities. I will train you on it tonight, if you wish.)

 

(I'd like that. I'm not doing anything tonight anyways.) You thought a bit. (But I wonder what Sans is doing? He still hasn't answered my texts.)

 

(That is a good question. I do hope he is OK.)

 

(Me too....) You sighed. Then, you straightened up your posture and began typing away on the computer. (Only three or so hours to go, and then I can be free to think about cool things again. For now, architecture and emails it is.)

 

(You have to write to Mr. Fredrick in contracting about the electricians for the hospital, remember?)

 

Oh, you had forgot. (Oh, Gaster, I'm so glad I have you here. Thank you for reminding me.) You smiled and beamed gratitude.

 

(O-oh, it's nothing...) He then sank away into your subconscious, seemingly deep in thought.

 

Well, it was time to get some work done. You cracked your knuckles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What would a spider doughnut even taste like? I want to know.
> 
> Hope you guys are enjoying these chapters before the storm... because boy, when Sans gets that machine working, things just wont be the same. ;)
> 
> WTEB


	12. This Is All Uncharted Territory

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_TTLS_oHR8&index=2&list=PL30gL4RCcEQC9_qSsxx-UcBfq_cQguXIZ))

It was evening now, and you were on your way home on the bus. The sun was nearly setting, and a gold light was cast over the city. Gaster and you were chatting about your newfound magical abilities.

 

(So, how far can you move the hands before you lose control?)

 

(Typically not beyond 50 feet, but in some cases I have managed around 70.)

 

(And they can just do normal hand things?)

 

(Well, they can also create bursts of energy, in case of self defense, but I rarely used them for that.)

 

(That's sweet.Not only can I turn off the light switch while lying down, I can also fire balls of energy...) You felt amazement. Gaster felt concern.

 

(Yes, but be careful. Expending magic, even for something like turning off a light, drains you of your own energy. You will have to work up endurance, even with your limited magic from my soul fragment.)

You remembered feeling a bit tired after the cafe, but chalked it up to post-doughnut food coma. Well, at least your metabolism was still ok. You were even excited to train in magic use- how freaking cool was that? Training like a sorcerer...

 

(You will need to train for this trip, especially since it is likely that beings in alternate universes will not be friendly at all times. But do try to take it seriously...) Gaster was worried that you weren't.

 

You radiated confidence and seriousness. (I take this super seriously. I just think it is a really cool thing for a boring human to get to do.)

 

He felt ashamed now. (I'm... sorry, I do not mean to demean your excitement. I just don't want you to get hurt because of me...) It was all because of him, he thought...

 

You tried to prod him out of his sad stupor. (Hey, look here, in the time I've known you, my life has been amazing- I've learned so much about the world that I never knew existed. And I learned that even if things sound scary- like soul bonding, or spider doughnuts- that they can be amazing experiences. Whatever happens, I look forward to it.)

 

He felt better now, but was still slightly unsure and concerned. (Very well.)

You suddenly felt your phone buzz in your pocket. Pulling it out, you saw it was ringing, with "Sans the Skeleton" appearing on the display screen. You immediately answered and held it to your ear.

 

"Hey Sans, what's up?"

 

"hey _____, i got stuff to update you on. where are you right now?"

 

You looked around. "I'm on the bus on my way home. Should I get off?"

 

"yeah, at the next stop is good. i'll see ya there." *click*

 

You put the phone away. How did he even know where you were or what bus loop you were riding? Strange. But maybe, again, magic.

(Sans has the ability to sense the general location of souls he has seen before, since you were wondering.)

 

(Ah, that sure is helpful.)

The bus rolled to the stop. You adjusted your bag's strap and got off the bus, saying thanks to the driver as you exited. Standing outside was a short skeleton, this time in a blue hoodie lined with white fleece, and gym shorts. It was odd seeing him this casual.

As you stepped off, his eye sockets grew wide and his grin straightened into an emotionless expression.

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv2rSnmV2zc&list=PL30gL4RCcEQC9_qSsxx-UcBfq_cQguXIZ&index=36))

"kid, you ... gaster.... you bonded already?" He sounded shocked.

"How could you tell?" You tried your best to hide the scars and paleness, but you guessed he saw right through it. Wait.

If he could sense your soul, then...

 

(Yes, he can sense that you and I are in the same body.)

 

Ah.

 

Sans watched your face as you realized how he knew. It was a look of confusion followed by one as if listening to someone, and then a look of clarification.

 

"so you heard from 'im how i can see souls, i guess. well, let's take a walk. as i said, i've got stuff to tell ya." You nodded, and followed him as he walked from the stop.

 

"so, _____, I got your texts just a few minutes ago before I called you. i've been working on the machine fully, since i had today off. sorry for not responding."

 

"It's ok, I thought you might be busy or something."

 ([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOJ4rksWJu8&list=PL30gL4RCcEQC9_qSsxx-UcBfq_cQguXIZ&index=26))

He cleared his throat, making a deep sound. "and i think it is in working shape now. i even tested it by turning it on and opening the door, and sure enough, i saw a new place. well, a place that was obviously in the underground, but looked different."

 

You stopped walking. Gaster reeled in shock. You felt yourself compelled to say something that came bursting from him.

"(You tested it already?! That could have destabilized the whole timeline here! You should have consulted me first, that was incredibly dangerous!)" Your voice was staticky and like Gaster's, at your first meeting with him in the dream, crossed with your own. You also said it louder than any sort of "polite voice" that you wanted.

 

Sans stopped and turned to face you, his pinpricks of pupils gone.

"g-gaster? .... ______, are you ok?"

 

You regained yourself. "Yeah, I'm fine... but, whew, Gaster, calm down. I'm sure he didn't mean to damage the timeline..."

 

He whirred in anxiety. (Of course he didn't, but he should have been more careful!)

 

You sighed, your heart beating unpleasantly fast, not because of your own emotions. Your vision was also a bit brighter.... you wondered why.

"... he's right, i should have taken more precaution... i just felt..." Sans looked down at the sidewalk.

 

"It's ok, Sans." You put your hand on his shoulder. "You didn't damage a thing. But let's take a look at it now, shall we? That way Gaster can make sure it is safe and working properly."

 

He looked back up at you with a small smile and slightly pained eyebrows. "sure, kid. follow me. and, uh..." He looked at your eyes directly. "you might want to turn off your eyes."

 

"My eyes?!" You grabbed your phone and looked at your reflection. Your irises were glowing white. It both freaked you out and made you feel badass. "How the hell do I do that?"

 

"for me, the glow only comes on in intense emotion. so, chill, i guess?"

 

You took some deep breaths and closed your eyes.

 

In. Out.

In. Out.

 

You opened them, and checked your phone again. They were still glowing, but not as much. You had a feeling...

(Gaster, are you ok?)

 

He grew anxious by your question. (I still can't just- your world might have been-)

 

(Gaster! Chill out. Everything is ok. The world is safe. We don't need headlights right now.) You tried to send him calmness and assurance.

 

He too took what seemed to be mental breaths. He was calming down.

You looked at your eyes again, and they dimmed and faded out.

 

"you two good?" Sans eyed you cautiously.

 

You gave a thumbs up, and once again hefted your bag strap. He walked onwards, around a corner of a building, and as soon as you blinked...

 

You were in the room with the machine.

There were lights plugged into the walls and scattered everywhere. Wires and electronics decorated the floor space. There were even more blueprints on the walls, lined with even more illegible text... wait...

Now you could read it. It said things like "antimagic coil" and "inter-dimensional scarring" and equations that you didn't bother reading entirely.

 

(Yes, you can now read Wingdings, the language I created for experiments in the underground.)

 

(Great... now I can read sciencey things I don't comprehend in the slightest...) You laughed to yourself.

 

The machine looked much more complete now- it was the door with a solid metal frame around, with no wires sticking out, only clean seams and some control panels, with some softly blinking lights.

 

"so, it does seem to be working... but i have no idea where to program it to." Sans and you both walked over to it.

 

Gaster rose to the front of your consciousness. (May I... move your body a bit?)

 

You were a bit surprised that he could do that, but then again he did just shout out of your mouth. (Sure...)

 

Your vision brightened again, and suddenly your body started moving to Gaster's will. He ran your hands along the panels, the buttons, moving around the machine and taking it all in. You, of course, also took it all in. You began to understand what things did, as the information flowed into him.

The main panel with the touch screen had five entry boxes, three for the three dimensions, one for time, and one for universe level. The toggles to the left and right adjusted to fine tune to the matter of the gateway, to keep the door from materializing within something solid or liquid. The lights were all status lights, and all indicated that the machine was operating properly.

As Gaster finished his appraisal, you felt your back straighten to a very formal posture, and your hands clasp behind your back. It felt natural to Gaster, but slightly unnatural to you. You could see Sans look shocked as he made eye contact with him.

 

"(You are correct, everything seems fine. The machine simply needs to be tuned to my soul's wavelength, and then we can utilize it.)" You were so unused to someone else speaking from your mouth. Gaster sensed this, and internally apologized, and your body flinched as he realized. He then sank back, giving you control again. You readjusted your body to your normal stance, arms crossed.

 

"... this will definitely take some getting used to, kid and gaster..." Sans shuffled around to near where you were standing. You also realized he was wearing pink fuzzy slippers this whole time. You cracked a smile.

 

"You don't have to tell us, this is all uncharted territory in here, too." You pointed to your head. "Not to mention..."

 

You dug in your bag and pulled out a pack of makeup wipes. You pulled one out, and swiped it over your opposite hand's back and then half of your face. You then smiled.

 

"This happened."

Sans once again looked shocked, and then slightly sad.

 

"_____, how.... why did you...." He shook his head. "nevermind. we are going to put g back together, and then you will be back to normal."

 

You shrugged. "I've never been normal. At least I can do something helpful now." You grinned, meaning every word. Gaster sent a small feeling of humble gratitude.

 

Sans sighed. "ok then. i guess we will have to get you prepped for this trip, then. have you had any magic training from gaster?"

 

"Not really, but I did manage to summon a hand and catch a doughnut I knocked off a table."

 

Sans chuckled at that. "nice."

 

"But he told me we could practice it tonight, so that was my evening plans."

 

He nodded. "we should train you- and i could supervise to keep you from hurting yourself. not that g would let you do that, but just as an extra precaution. plus, you could spar against me."

 

Both Gaster and you felt that it was a dangerous idea. You were going to say something, but Sans saw it in your face.

 

"don't worry, i wont hurt ya, and i'm awfully good at dodging. it's how i've avoided doing actual work for so long." He grinned.

 

"Well, I guess, if it would help me train...." (And don't worry Gaster, we will be fine. I can't do much anyways..."

 

(You might be surprised by what a human soul can do with magic... and it isn't you as much as him I am concerned about. Sans is... not as strong as you may believe.)

You remembered when Sans realized that he couldn't take the damage that absorbing another monster soul would cause. But then again, he seemed sure that he could dodge.

 

"ok then, kid, shall we train a bit? i have a good spot for practicing magic. paps always hangs out there to train with undyne."

 

"Sure... but, if the machine is ready, when are we going to go?"

 

Sans thought about this, and you felt Gaster think as well.

 

(If we trained you all weekend, you could probably be sufficiently prepared by Monday.)

 

You repeated this to Sans, who nodded hesitantly. "i guess he's right. there is only so much you can do with only one piece of a soul."

 

You nodded. You would have to take off Monday... augh, the horrors of modern life, where you had to bother to take off work to go on crazy life-changing adventures through time...

Regardless, you felt determined to make the most of your training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *begin drumroll for training*
> 
> Also, the songs i choose for soundtrack are only chosen for their sound, not their names or AU's attached to them.  
> And you still didn't wipe half of your makeup off, so... maybe someone will point that out eventually.


	13. A Good Team

After heading home from the machine, and agreeing to meet tomorrow morning at the Spider Cafe before training, you laid down on your couch, a bit tired from the day's events.

You gave a long, breathy sigh.

Gaster seemed to be mumbling to himself in your head, clearly wanting to say something.

 

(Gast, go ahead. You don't need to hide stuff from me.)

He seemed taken aback (in a good way) by your nickname. He then cleared his throat, or whatever the mental equivalent of that was.

 

(I ... am sorry ... for shouting and getting angry earlier. I had no right to, especially in your body... I apologize.) He felt bad again.

 

(You are fine. Tearing apart the universe is a risk that should not be taken lightly, but thankfully nothing happened. And I understand, you shouted because you felt compelled to.) You thought of how to phrase what you were going to say next-

(And ... using my body, it's ok. It was actually pretty cool to understand what you saw, like how the machine works and stuff. It's like we're a team. Just operating with one body.)

 

You felt understanding from him. (Thank you, _____. I think....) He stumbled emotionally.

But you could tell what he was thinking.

 

(We make a good team, huh?)

 

He stuttered in your head, and you laughed. (What? You were thinking it too... don't be so surprised.)

 

(Y-you're right. And once we get you to proficiency in magic, Sans, you, and I should be able to navigate the timelines with little difficulty.)

 

You nodded. Man, you were excited. Training with your new monster friends, using magic to do cool stuff, then going on a cross dimensional adventure to bring back a new friend...

You could feel Gaster marveling at your excitement, seemingly amused.

(What? Not every human gets to do such fantastic stuff...)

 

(You are quite right, but,) his mood changed to concerned again, (remember, this will likely become dangerous at points.)

 

You could not escape his worrying. He was like a mother hen. But bonded to your soul.

(Yeah, I know, you remind me every time I get excited... but enough about that. What should we eat for dinner?) You felt hunger crawl into your stomach.

 

He thought. (I have an idea.)

 

 

\--------------

 

 

An hour later, you had a fantastic looking quiche. Gaster led your body through the motions of making it, clearly familiar with the recipe. The whole time, you were amazed by his movements. You never felt your body move so gracefully or have such good posture.

 

(Please, enjoy. I haven't cooked in so long, I hope it turned out well....)

You sighed mentally. He never stopped worrying.

After regaining movements, you grabbed a fork and dove into the quiche, not even bothering to cut a slice out of the pan. Gaster was taken aback by your lack of manners, but you reminded him that it was literally just you living alone, and that the entire pan was your slice. He still seemed concerned, but satisfied with your response.

It tasted... fantastic. The spinach was well cooked, and the eggs and ham blended incredibly well together with the spices. He even added a layer of cheese on top. It was strange- you felt the energy your body expended to make the quiche, but it still felt like someone else made the food for you, which made it taste better. You smiled, chewing.

 

(I'm glad you like it.) Gaster radiated happiness.

 

(You could easily open a restaurant with just this, Gast. If science never works out for you on the surface, I think we've found a job for you.)

He beamed humility, and you smiled again.

For the next few hours, you chatted about the practical possibilities limitations of magic. Gaster described how magic drew upon the soul for strength and duration, and that overusing the abilities could result in unconsciousness or death. He also talked about how monster attacks didn't hurt the physical body per se, but damaged the soul, which caused damage to appear on the human body, much like a physical injury. Also, he explained the nature of HP, LV, and EXP, which made you feel terrified that the more something killed, the stronger it was, and the less moral.

You could feel yourself getting tired, and Gaster could too.

(You should head to bed, you will need rest for training tomorrow.)

 

(Yeah... you're right.) You got up off the couch and checked to make sure you put away the quiche in the fridge (which you did) and headed to your bedroom.

You noticed, for the first time all week, your book on your nightstand. You had remembered being so excited to finish it... and how you used to keep yourself entertained.

Wow, had things changed. Now you had exciting adventures to live and magical training to do.

Shortly after changing (in which Gaster always gave you privacy), you crawled into bed.

 

(Good night, Gaster. See you in the morning, if we don't show up in the same dream again.)

 

(Yes, good night. I hope dreams tonight are more peaceful for you.) He meant it.

 

And shortly, you were asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He made you quiiiiccchhheeee :D
> 
> Sweet dreams, reader.
> 
> (Or will they be????)


	14. "... sorry ..."

It was hot. It was so hot... you weren't even physical and you could feel yourself sweating.

 

Images came into foggy resolution- you were floating over a pit of lava. No wonder it was hot. You didn't feel the need to panic- you felt oddly peaceful just floating around. The heat was seeping into you, but it didn't hurt.

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27VUEhiQtYU&list=PLWwiTub4XGtELUAeMHg0iXbTmkQiB0iPm))

A bridge of land was in front of you, about 20 feet down from where you were floating. You could see a small child running, and hear their heavy breathing echo through the cavern. They were wearing an apron, with fluffy dark hair, and stained clothes, clutching a cast iron frying pan. They suddenly fell on the bridge, collapsing from tiredness.

 

You heard heavy footsteps resounding through the cave, approaching from the same way the child came. An armored, stout monster barreled through, clutching a huge, double sided axe.

 

"HUMAN!" It shouted- it was a female voice, throaty, yet higher pitched than you expected.

 

The child tried to push itself off the ground and look at its pursuer, but collapsed again. You felt an intense sadness burn inside of you for the kid. But you couldn't move.

The monster ran closer, and removed her helmet. It was a yellow dinosaur-looking monster, with a scar over her left eye, and a sharp tooth-filled mouth. She walked up to the child, clearly arming itself to smite the crouched being before her.

The kid turned on its back to look up in terror at the she-monster. It managed to crawl a few feet away before the monster threw and lodged an axe behind it to stop the retreat.

 

"Don't even THINK about running any more," she snarled. "It's over, weakling."

 

The child lifted the frying pan to shield itself.

 

You felt tears drip from your face and fall into the lava below. They didn't make a sound.

 

"P-please..." the voice came from the child. "I... don't want to hurt anyone... I don't want to d-die..."

 

The axe trembled in the she-monster's grasp.

 

"I just ... wanted to go home..." The child's frying pan shook gently.

 

You tried to call out... but nobody could hear you. You didn't have a voice here.

 

The she-monster regripped the axe, and lifted it above her head. It still trembled slightly, but then was still.

"We do too, kid. We do too. ... I'm sorry."

 

The axe swung...

 

 

 

You closed your eyes, and a horrific metal sound rang out.

 

While the sound still resounded, you opened your eyes.

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_pH07uFjeg))

You were now in a laboratory. It was the same one was before, but in a different room. This one had a creepier atmosphere, and was uncomfortable and damp.

The fish monster you recognized from your last dream entered the room, a sliding door opening to reveal light from another room. She clutched in her webbed blue hands a glass container.

Inside the container...

 

A floating green heart.

 

You felt bile rise in your throat. It looked very, very similar to your own soul. You also felt guilt rise from the pit of your stomach.

You turned and watched as she placed the container next to another one, this one containing a light blue heart. You felt another wave of dread wash over you.

The fish monster's face was also solemn as she turned away. She scuffed up to another doorway that you could not see into. You once again could not move from your spot.

 

"Doctor," she spoke softly from the doorway, "W-we have another s-sample..."

 

The word Doctor made you flinch.

 

A soft, deep static answered. You couldn't understand, and somehow felt that the sound was deliberately hidden from you.

 

The blue monster nodded. "Very well, D-doctor. I'll power up the extractor."

 

The extractor... you knew that name. You also felt guilty for knowing it.

She scuffed softly to another room. You could hear a few soft clicks, and a whirring sound filled your ears. The sound grew louder and louder... You shut your eyes, wincing at the roar it had become.

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmXTXlElE8c&list=PLwYmXYWIMcAz4Lg3_Bxl48qubpyPmFTCb&index=2))

And when you opened them, you were in a castle. Plants and blooming yellow flowers decorated the ground, and crawled up the side of the stone.

A large throne sat empty in the middle of the room, and a larger throne was in the back, covered with cloth.

You saw a large figure emerge from a back room. It had small horns, a wide cape with shoulder shields, and long ears...

As the light struck its face, you immediately recognized it...

 

It was Toriel, Queen of the Monsters. But... a different version of her.

 

This Toriel had creases in her face, ones that belied immense regret and responsibility. Her gaze was colder than you remembered it ever being. She held a blood red trident.

You heard armored footsteps clank into the room. Familiar ones.

 

"My Queen." The armored she-monster from earlier kneeled.

 

Toriel laughed softly, but sadly. "You have no need for that formality, as I've told you, Alphys."

 

"Yes, your majesty." Alphys stood. "We have obtained another soul."

 

Toriel looked aside, neither happy nor relieved. "Thank you, Alphys. You do your job well."

 

"I..." Alphys' hand shook ever so slightly for a second. "I do what I must."

 

Toriel walked towards her and placed a paw on her shoulder.

"Do not fear, Alphys. One day, we will be free because of the sacrifices you and others have made."

 

Alphys nodded.

You felt sadness well inside yourself, and tears once again fall to the ground below you.

 

This time, however, the tears hit the leaves of the plans below you, and made soft pattering sounds.

Both of the monsters before you turned in your direction, suddenly aware of your presence.

Suddenly, an axe flew at you-

 

And went right through your chest.

It didn't hit or hurt you. You didn't even have time to be afraid.

The monsters walked closer to you, eyes still searching for any sort of presence, but they clearly couldn't see you.

They both noticed your tears still falling and hitting the leaves softly.

They followed them up to your face, but made no move to come closer, clearly both very confused.

You croaked out words amongst crying.

 

"I'm s-so sorry..." Your voice was staticky and fractured, but they seemed to hear it.

 

The looks on their faces were ones of confusion and sadness.

 

"I'm .... so...."

 

Your vision blurred out.

 

 

".... sorry..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because not everything has been or will be happy.


	15. Training Begins

You awoke with a slightly damp pillow. You still felt emotional about the dream... what were these even about? And why were they so goddamn sad?

You thought these things, but Gaster kept quiet. He did not comment, and he did not give away any emotions.

The clock read 8:23. You had agreed to meet Sans at the cafe at 9:30...

Well, if Gaster was going to be quiet, you could just get ready anyways.

 

You got up and took a shower, dressed in clothes you thought were appropriate for "training"- ie, a tanktop and athletic pants, and then pulled on a hoodie. It was a bit chilly out anyways, and you didn't want to risk a cold before your trip.

 

The underground had weather that varied greatly, you remembered. It had a snowy region, a wet, cave-like region, and a volcano-like region...

You grabbed your bag and headed out the door.

 

The volcano region... Hotland... that was in your dream last night.

You headed down the stairs in your apartment.

 

You remembered your dream better than you wished... the kid with the frying pan... the green disembodied soul floating in the container...

You were at the bus stop outside your building. The bus glided up, and you took a seat near the window, since you preferred looking out at the moving city.

 

What did it even mean? What was giving you these awful dreams? If they weren't scary, they were incredibly sad. You remembered hearing about the barrier, and how it could only be broken by using several human souls... so you understood why the monsters were killing... but to see the shaking dinosaur monster hesitate... she didn't want to kill the kid either.

And how could the monsters in the castle hear you now? How did your tears actually hit the leaves, when the axe flew right through you? How-

 

(______, you are worrying yourself too much. They were dreams.) Ah, there he was.

 

(You saw them too, didn't you? Didn't you feel like they were more than dreams?)

He remained quiet.

 

(Didn't you end up in what I thought was a dream? And then this whole thing happen?)

 

(.... You are correct, they did seem suspicious for dreams... some things...) You felt guilt bubble up from him, like it did in the dream.

 

(Gaster, what happened in the dream... did that happen in reality? Do you remember any of it?)

 

With bitter sadness, he responded, (Yes. Some events were similar. However, the monsters... all seem like different versions of themselves. Alphys is not a royal guard, but a scientist, and Undyne is not a scientist, but a royal guard. The roles of everyone... seem...)

 

(Swapped?) This was making sense. The Sans and Papyrus from the earlier dream.

 

(Yes... swapped. That would make sense.) You took this idea in.

[(ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF_mfCiDKYM))

The bus stopped outside your workplace. It was only a short walk to the Spider Cafe, in which you saw Sans chatting with Muffet. He wore the same casual attire from yesterday. Then again, you also sported a hoodie and athletic pants.

Muffet noticed you and waved lightly with one of her hands. Sans turned and grinned. You walked up to the two of them.

 

"mornin' kid. ready for training?"

 

You shook your head. "Ready for breakfast, more like. Muffet, do you happen to have bagels?"

 

Muffet laughed softly. "Of course, dearie. I recommend the poppyseed ones. Would you like cream cheese with that, toasted?"

 

You nodded. "You know me so well, Muffet." She smiled and began making your order.

 

Sans grinned. "it's like she's got you hanging by a thread."

 

You snorted with a laugh. "Good one. Did you get anything?"

 

Sans held a paper bag up. "got some doughnuts for paps. shall we grab a table?"

 

You nodded, walking to one and propping yourself up on a seat. You also watched as Sans somehow gracefully slid onto the seat opposite of you, never taking his hands out of his pockets, despite being shorter than you. He met your gaze with his ever-present grin.

"you alright? you look a bit... off." His eye sockets tapered into concerned angles.

 

(I should probably tell him, right? The dreams may mean something that could help in the future.) You asked Gaster.

 

(I would mention that you dreamed about a swapped reality of the underground... but ...) He hesitated, but you could tell what he was thinking. It was better not to mention the killing.

 

"I..." you began. You almost felt tears welling in your eyes, reminding you of what you saw in the dream. But you held them back. "I had dreams about a version of the underground where all of the monster's roles were... swapped, so to speak. Undyne was a royal scientist, and Alphys was captain of the Royal Guard."

 

Sans' eyes shifted to even more concern. "how do you... gaster told you about them, didn't he?" He closed his eyes. "swapped, huh? that's... strange. and why do you tell me this?"

 

"Well, Gaster originally appeared in a dream of mine, and ever since bonding with him, I've been having these dreams of the place. They probably mean something, so I thought you should know."

 

Muffet called from the counter. "Your bagel is ready, dearie."

 

From San's left eye sprouted a tendril of blue light, forming a ring like an iris inside his dark socket. You watched as the plate with the bagel tinted the same color blue and floated through the air to settle in front of you. Once again, you were amazed by magic, as the blue on the bagel and in his eye faded out.

"thanks for tellin' me, kid. but do try not to be so blue about it, no matter how odd your dreams are." He winked.

 

Still emotionally drained, you managed a smile at the joke.

(End ST)

 

\--------------

 

 

A half hour later and you were in a wide field, filled with ditches in the dirt, bones, spears, and various other kinds of debris. This was the practice field.

You shrugged off your bag and put it in the crook of a nearby tree.

As you followed Sans to a large clearing in the center, you felt Gaster bubble up from your mind.

 

(Before we begin, I have a suggestion as to how to approach training.)

You repeated this to Sans, who nodded for him to continue.

 

(I would like to show you how I have used magic, and utilize your body to do so that you can feel what it is like. Then you can try it. Does that sound agreeable?)

 

You told this to Sans, and he nodded in agreement.

 

"Well, let's get started then. Go ahead, Gast." Sans laughed at the nickname, and you could feel Gaster rise from your mind.

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THwprYAmsNs))

Your body immediately straightened posture again, hands clasping in front of you in a sort of greeting/prayer formation.

"(I am going to begin by summoning a single hand.)" You felt his willpower and imagining of a hand, and suddenly, it was in front of you, palm up and fingers outstretched, with a hole in the palm. It was just as transparent as the first hand you accidentally summoned.

 

You could feel the gentle breeze on this hand as well, and the sensation of the wind against the inside of the palm hole. You mentally shivered.

 

"(Use the hand to pick up an object- you will note that the hand can both phase through and contact objects, and it is only by your will that it becomes solid enough to be of use.")

 

The hand- your hand- reached down and phased through the ground- which felt like nothing but dense dampness- and then re-emerged. It then plucked a blade of grass, holding it between the index finger and thumb. You could feel the dew on the blade, and the edge of it as the hand twisted it between the fingers.

Without warning, the hand disappeared, and the grass blew away.

 

(Now, you try.) Gaster stepped back from control.

 

You kept his posture, which was an effort to look like you were taking this seriously, and tried holding your hands in the same position he did. You closed your eyes and imagined the same hand, in the same position.

When you reopened your eyes, a hand was in front of you. Wow, you did that.

 

You stretched it, flexing it, moving each of the joints. You didn't feel tendons or muscles in it like your normal hands, but it still felt like a part of you. You marveled at it for quite a while, moving it up and down, swinging it from side to side, then trying to use it to conduct and orchestra, then to make a fist...

 

"This is so frigging cool...."

 

Sans chuckled at your exclamation. "magic is so commonplace for monsters, we don't always know how much it comes in _hand_ y." You grinned, eyeing him.

 

"I've got to _hand_ it to you, Sans, I'm surprised I could _finger_ this out so quickly."

Suddenly, two hands were in front of you, making air guns at Sans from your joke.

 

"Oh," you stuttered, "I... imagined doing that, and it just sort of happened..." You smiled at your new hands, which you then turned into thumbs up. "Neat."

 

(You have a good grasp on this magic...)

 

Wait, Gaster just made a pun. It was so subtle you hardly noticed it. He didn't even place emphasis on the grasp, which made it all the funnier.

 

You cracked up, real hands breaking from the position to hold your sides as you nearly bent over. The other hands also moved to hold your sides, slightly below your other ones.

You felt them there and freaked out until you remembered they were your own, and then you started laughing again.

 

"you ok there, bud?"

You nodded, your laughs becoming shorter due to lack of breath.

 

"Oh my ... god, Gaster just made... a pun..."

Sans' eyeridges raised in questioning.

 

"Said I have a .... good grasp!" You broke into laughter again. Gaster, you could tell, was also mentally laughing, and finding amusement in your own laughter.

Sans also began laughing pretty hard. You all laughed for a little while more before you remembered you were here to train.

 

You pulled your summoned hands from your sides and pressed them together. It was like pressing your normal hands together, but again, with a hole cut out of the palms. You managed to keep them solid, then phase them through each other, which felt plain weird. Tingly, but barely anything other than that.

 

"here kid, catch." You saw a stick soar softly through the air towards you.

The hands raised to grab it, but the stick fell right through them. You had forgot to make them solid in the split second.

 

(Nice try, but let's do it again.)

Sans prompted you a few more times, throwing branches and miscellaneous bones from the yard at you. Most of them fell right through your hands, but a few of them you managed to catch.

Gaster then suggested trying to create energy using the hands. He showed you how- concentrating will on making a burst of pure energy- and then releasing it. Your new hands crackled and tingled with the energy, and then released the bolts, zooming about 40 feet away from you before fizzling out. Sans gave a zooming whistle as it went by.

 

You tried... but the bolts only went about five feet before weakening. Clearly, this was what the training was for.

 

You spent the next several hours practicing these things, like catching solid objects, and using energy, and even trying to pull your body using your summoned hand holding your real hand. It was very tricky work- like trying to turn a cap on a bottle while your hands and the bottle were wet, plus your hand was phasing in and out of material form. Very tricky indeed.

You began to feel tired, and Gaster suggested a rest. You glumly agreed; even though training was freaking amazing, you felt like you had run a mile or two... even though you hardly moved physically. Magic was draining stuff.

 

Luckily, Sans thought ahead and was nice enough to bring a magic-filled lunch for you. It was a seemingly regular hot dog, a bag of chips... which for some reason were labeled "popato chisps", and a double popsicle he called a "bisicle", which he split with you. The wrapper even complemented you on how nice you looked today. Man, was monster food great. Everything tasted great, but kept the same tingly immateriality as the burger and fries you had at Grillby's. You could feel your energy level rise as you ate them.

 

After that, you learned some new skills and practiced the ones you learned earlier. Keeping your hands in the right phase was the hardest part- the always seemed to be the opposite of what you needed.

Sans even began sparring with you. From a distance, of course- he was sitting up against a tree nonchalantly. He made a branch float and act like a fake sword. You too grabbed a sword (stick) from the ground with your summoned hands and swung at the opposing stick.

The stick, however, struck back. And you felt it.

He targeted your hands, which were solid by nature, having to hold the stick, and the blows landed on them. They stung, which both did and did not surprise you.

 

(Ah, yes, you will have to be careful- the hands can feel pain, since they are manifestations of your soul. Destroying or damaging them will hurt you, and lower your HP.)

 

(Noted...) You swung back at the stick with renewed determination.

 

Several hours later, the sun was setting. You were once again exhausted, and Sans bid you farewell to head home. He teleported you back home, being kind and aware of how drained you looked.

You trudged up your stairs, through your door, into your bedroom, and collapsed on the bed. Your body ached, not in any one place, but from exhaustion.

(End ST)

(I did warn you that this trip might be uncomfortable... but I am sorry that you feel so exhausted.)

 

You covered your face with your hands, your real hands. You felt too weak to summon any others now.

(Yeah... I totally signed up for this. And it was totally worth it.) You got up and stretched, and took off your hoodie.

(And feeling this exhausted... feels good for once. I don't get much opportunity to feel this alive, working day and night in the firm...) You took off your shirt, feeling the ache resound in you.

 

Another feeling resounded in you, but not your own.

 

As you pulled off your shoes and socks, you questioned Gaster on this strange feeling.

(______... you-you're...) He was flustered.

 

(What?....) You thought, and it came to you. (Oh. OH.)

 

Gaster's thoughts were unintelligible and spastic. Truly flustered.

 

(Oh, come on. You can feel my body anyway. Sorry, I'm just so tired that I hardly cared... but if you are uncomfortable, feel free to go...)

 

(O-oh, I'm.... I was concerned you would be uncomfortable if I stayed... but...) He gathered himself. (It would be best if I left you to your... business. Good night, _____.)

 

As you felt his mind pull away, you laughed softly to yourself. Gaster had been a literal part of you for ... what was it, three days now? And you didn't mind him feeling you undress... at least to just your bra and sweatpants. He did feel your entire body, after all.

 

You settled into bed a short while later, hoping your dreams, for once, were not mentally scarring. Although they probably would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bless puns for existing.
> 
> Also, bless sweet cinnamon roll Gaster and his shyness.
> 
> And bless all of you, dear readers, for continuing to read this mess of a story.


	16. Now You Have A Say

It was cold. You shivered, knowing that this was yet another dream. Oddly poetic, though, how the last dream began in a hot place, and this in a cold one.

You looked at your feet. You tried moving them...

 

And you took a step.

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLlNQtkDWLo))

Holy cow... you could actually move in this dream. However, the snow that was underfoot did not crunch as you walked...

 

You tried saying something...

But no sound came out.

You sighed silently. At least you could move.

 

You walked along the snow covered path. It seemed like the forest before Snowdin, according to your memory. You wondered if you would run into any of the monsters with the swapped roles.

 

Almost as an answer to your question, the sound of quick footsteps resounded through the forest. You looked to see the small, quick version of Sans walking rapidly in your direction.

Wait, he was looking right at you...

 

"HELLO! ARE YOU LOST?" He smiled and bounded up to you, with big eyesockets. It was really strange seeing Sans act like this...

 

You tried to say something, but again, not a sound came out of you. You looked at your hands. They were... see through. Your whole body- it was ghost-like.

 

"YOU LOOK KIND OF SICK, FRIEND. I'VE ALSO NEVER SEEN YOU BEFORE." He thought, holding his chin in a moment of pensiveness.

 

"OH!" He exclaimed with actual stars in his eyes, "I HAVEN'T INTRODUCED MYSELF! YOU CAN CALL ME SANS THE MAGNIFICENT. THAT IS, IF YOU CAN SPEAK AT ALL."

 

You nodded, smiling. This Sans was adorable.

 

"ARE YOU NORMALLY ABLE TO SPEAK? I DO NOT KNOW OF ANY MONSTERS WHO CANNOT."

 

You nodded yes.

 

"I AM SORRY TO HEAR THAT YOU HAVE LOST YOUR VOICE, FRIEND. PLEASE, FOLLOW ME." He tried to tug on your shirt to get you to follow him, but his hand phased right through you. "OH, I APOLOGIZE, I DID NOT KNOW YOU WERE NOT SOLID. I DID NOT MEAN TO INVADE YOUR BODY SPACE."

 

You laughed, and gestured for him to continue onward.

You followed him through the woods, opposite of the direction you were headed.

 

"I AM TAKING YOU TO MY BROTHER, WHO WILL HELP YOU REGAIN YOUR VOICE. HE ISN'T GOOD FOR MUCH, BUT HE DOES KNOW SOME HEALING AND USEFUL MAGIC. BUT DO NOT TELL HIM I SAID THAT!"

 

You couldn't help from grinning at this Sans. He was too sweet, just like the Papyrus you knew.

You shortly arrived to a clearing, where you saw Papyrus in a hoodie dozing off at a sentry station (which honestly looked a lot like a hot dog stand).

 

Sans ran up to him and shouted, "LAZY BONES! GET UP! THERE IS A MONSTER IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE."

 

Papyrus lazily opened one eye. "hey bro." He eyed you. "that the monster?"

 

"OF COURSE IT IS, THEY ARE THE ONLY ONE HERE BESIDES ME."

 

"i dunno sans, i guess they are pretty _clearly_ the monster in question."

 

"DON'T MAKE FUN OF THEIR TRANSPARENCY, PAPYRUS."

 

"ah, you _saw right through_ my puns... what a shame." He then got up and walked over to you.

"so, what's wrong with you?"

 

"SO RUDE, PAPYRUS! HOWEVER, THEY SEEM TO HAVE LOST THEIR VOICE."

 

You shrugged and nodded in agreement. That was more or less the case, but you doubted the magic could fix that. You hardly existed in this dream state.

 

"you... _don't say_." Papyrus gave you a shitfaced grin.

 

You, of course, cracked up laughing, but Sans obviously was not pleased, and berated his brother again.

 

[(ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECIc7Y9HfWU))

Suddenly, you heard a sharp crack. You and the brothers turned...

A small child, with dusty brown hair and a bandanna snapped a stick off of a tree. He eyed the three of you with a tinge of fear, but also with what appeared to be blatant bravery.

 

"BROTHER, IS THAT-"

"s a n sg e to u to fh e r e **now** "

 

Papyrus touched Sans' shoulder and in an instant he was gone. It was just you, Papyrus and the kid with the bandanna.

Papyrus stood in front of you, and tried to touch you to teleport you as well, but phased right through you.

 

"stay behind me," he said in the deepest voice Papyrus' body could manage.

 

You, of course, ignored him, and moved to the side to look at the kid. He clutched the stick like a sword.

 

"Let me pass."

 

"i don't think so, human. you shouldn't be here."

 

"Then what is that ghosty human doing here?" The kid pointed the stick right at you.

 

Papyrus looked to you, eyeing you with sudden intensity.

 

"you..." His eyes seemed to be looking deeper into you, at your soul. "what are you?"

 

You stepped out in front of him, and walked until you were equidistant between them. You pointed to Papyrus with one hand, then to the kid with the other, and then gave a thumbs up with both hands.

Both looked at you with utter confusion.

 

"What are you saying?" The kid regripped the stick. You saw that they now had a tough-looking glove on their right hand, tattered from use.

 

You pointed towards yourself, then towards both of them, and then thumbs up. You were trying to mean that you and they were all good beings and they didn't need to fight.

 

"you aren't a monster..." Papyrus lowered his stance. "and you aren't fully human. why should i listen to you?"

 

You thought. You shrugged, and opened your mouth. You pointed to your open mouth, and then Papyrus, and then your ear, and made a "no" gesture by crossing your hands. You meant to say "I dunno, you can't even listen to me now."

 

"You look a lot like a human, though." The kid lowered the stick, holding it with only the gloved hand. "What even happened to you? Are you dead?"

 

You shook your head. You also then shrugged because you knew that without speech you could never explain why this was a soul-triggered alternate-universe dream that you happened to have nightly.

 

Suddenly, from behind the kid, you saw movement. Papyrus did as well.

 

It was the small blue Sans, clearly eyeing the kid from a bush. The kid, however, noticed both of your gazes change, and whipped around, reholding the stick sword.

 

(End ST)

Sans emerged valiantly from the shrubbery, right eye coursing with blue magic.

 

"MYEH-HEH, I'VE SPOTTED A HUMAN! WHAT WORDS DO YOU HAVE NOW, BEFORE I CAPTURE YOU, OH ENEMY?"

You heard Papyrus rage behind you.

 

"sans, i told you to get out of here! this human is dangerous!" He started running towards the kid.

 

You realized you too were running towards Sans and the human child. You were trying to scream "stop" but no sound came out.

 

"I will NOT be captured!" the kid shouted.

The kid swung at Sans-

 

" **n o !!!!!** "

 

And immediately was thrust through the air. A blue tint covered the child as they accelerated all too quickly into a tree 20 feet behind them.

 

 

All you heard was a sickening slam, and then a soft crunch- you didn't need to see the result.

 

 

Yet your body turned to see...

On the trunk of a tree was a bloody, broken branch, and in front of the stain was a floating orange heart. Bushes obscured what lie below the heart and branch on the forest floor.

 

 

Your mind numbed. You didn't feel anything. You didn't feel the cold.

 

 

"PA... pa-papyrus..." You never heard this Sans speak so quietly.

 

You turned to see Papyrus clutching his brother and shielding his vision by holding his head to his chest.

 

"it's ok, bro. i'm here."

 

"Humans... are.... o-our enemies, right?"

 

Despite feeling numb, tears were somehow streaming down your cheeks.

 

Why...

 

"yes, they are. that one tried to hurt you."

 

 _Why_ did everything.....

 

"But..."

 

Why was it all.... so... _painful_...

 

"it's ok. you're ok."

 

"But... the human... it was-"

 

" **WHY?** " Your voice rang out, loud as day. You couldn't even tell if it was coming from your mouth.

 

Both of them turned to look at you, huddling.

Tears formed a waterfall from your probably gruesome looking hybrid face.

 

" **WHY... DO I HAVE TO SEE THESE THINGS? WHY IS THERE SO MUCH DEATH?** "

 

Your voice was louder than speech.

 

Sans began shaking while Papyrus held him closer, staring daggers at you, but still confused.

 

" **BY WHAT RIGHT DO I NEED TO EXPERIENCE THESE TRAGEDIES WHICH AREN'T EVEN MINE?** "

 

Your rage and sadness melted into one singular emotion.

 

You felt that emotion rise within you, and your vision began to fade to blackness.

 

The emotion rose and consumed you. It burned, and purified you.

 

You felt it burn away your own sadness, your own grief.

 

It burned your thoughts until they were gone.

 

The burn flickered out and faded away.

 

Time passed and yet did not move.

 

There was only calmness left in you.

 

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJfzf--xqeQ))

And a voice spoke.

It was your own.

 

 

"There you go.

Now you are asking questions.

See what happens?

 

Now you have a say."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. 
> 
> Shit.
> 
> I don't know when this story got so dark...
> 
> But it happened.
> 
> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> (And it will probably get worse...)


	17. The Quiche Won't Spoil, Right?

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FITg74aHW2M&list=PLQ9d5T2uaKg_NmIuTIEC9Vkg6kaF_q_Hh&index=12))

The sunlight filtered through your window and shined on your face.

You stirred, moving your face away from the beam of light.

You opened your eyes to your illuminated bedroom.

The pillow below your head was still damp with tears from the dream.

You still thought about it...

 

Why was it that every single time you went to sleep, to rest, the things that you saw were anything but restful? All you wanted was a dream that wasn't depressing or made you question the goodness in the world, or at least some sort of explanation for why this was being shown to you.

 

Gaster also woke with you.

 

(I am sorry that you have to see things like this... monsters .... are not always kind creatures.)

 

You lie in bed, mind still slightly emotionally numb. You then replied.

(Humans aren't known for being kind either. Most of human history is full of terrible, unspeakable violence. But... witnessing these dreams... reminds me that monsterkind can do bad shit too.)

 

You felt Gaster steel himself- his emotions were incredibly dark right now, a mix of guilt, sadness, and despair. But he tried to keep you from feeling these.

 

(Gast, whatever you are feeling, from whatever you or monsterkind has done- you are still a monster that deserves to live a happy life. Nobody should be robbed of existence like you were.And we will bring you back.)

 

Gaster steeled himself further. Whatever it was he was feeling, you could barely sense it or distinguish what it was.

(______, you are truly a good human.... And I want you to know that whatever danger comes our way on this journey, I will protect you, with whatever power I have.) He meant his word, you could tell.

 

You smiled, and hugged your arms to yourself in bed. (Thank you. I'll do my best to steer clear of danger, for all of our sakes.)

You then prepared yourself for your second and last day of training.

(End ST)

 

\-------------

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dZZuAO66ec))

This day progressed much like the first day of training. You managed to subdue the sadness that had struck you from the dream, and the unpleasant thoughts, with Gaster's help and encouragement.

Since you practiced yesterday, things came much easier to you.

You now could catch the thrown sticks without fail and your bolts of energy shot just as far as Gaster's. You also learned to summon up to four hands- you were going to try five, but you realized after a few seconds of holding four that your mind was just too confused to keep track of them all, not to mention that sustaining that many was incredibly draining.

 

You also had a little bit of time to try new things. You grabbed your real hands with your conjured ones and tried to pull yourself into the air.

And it worked. You were floating of your own accord.

At this time, Sans was opening a cooler to get your lunches, and had his back turned.

 

"Hey Sans! Look, I'm floating!"

 

He turned to you, smiling. "whatever _floats_ your boat, kid." He headed towards you holding a bagged lunch.

 

However, holding your entire bodyweight was also exhausting. There wasn't strain on any muscles (except in your real arms for holding on), but the force required to hold you up strained your energy. You gently lowered yourself back down, and dismissed the hands.

"What's for lunch?" You eagerly eyed the bag, which had your name scrawled on it in red sharpie, in a rather exciting all-caps style.

 

"paps overheard that we were hanging out again today, and so he decided to make us lunches. he made his famous spaghetti, and i'm not sure what else he put in these..." He held out your bag, which you promptly grabbed and peered into.

Inside was a green tupperware container with spaghetti, more popato chisps, and a purple spider doughnut.

 

"Aw, Paps is spoiling us. Home cooked spaghetti, chisps, AND a purple doughnut? The best possible lunch."

 

Sans laughed, and pulled out his food. You both sat down in a cleanish patch of grass. "i'll let him know you like it. but i _noodle_ from the beginning that you would like it. it would be im _pasta_ ble not to, seeing as how my supercool bro made it."

 

You broke into laughter. You also simultaneously broke open the tupperware, and smelled the spaghetti. Your stomach growled, and you began devouring it with the provided plastic fork. It tingled as it went down, so it must have held magic.

 

(What do you think, Gast? Some good spaghetti, huh? Paps is so nice...)

 

Gaster agreed. (It is very nice of him to make us lunch. ... well, should I say "us" or "you"?)

 

You slurped a mouthful of the noodles. (Us, obviously. You and I are, quite literally, in this together. I'm sure if Paps knew that you were sharing my body, he would have put your name on the bag as well.)

 

Gaster gave the emotional equivalent of a smile, and humility, with a tinge of gratitude for your words.

 

Sans also slurped his spaghetti loudly, almost obnoxiously. You held back laughter, but your face broke into a wide, tomato-y smile.

"i'm glad paps now has access to the cooking channel... his s'ketti used to be inedible, even with undyne's cooking lessons."

 

You broke open your chisps bag. "Undyne? The royal guard? She gave cooking lessons?"

 

"yep." * _sllluuuurrrp_ * "she is a very... passionate cook. she burned her house down once making pasta with frisk."

 

"She sounds like a cool gal." * _crunch_ * "I'd love to meet her at some point, if that's ok."

 

"i'll introduce you to her sometime, o- _fish_ -ially. i'm sure she'd love ya."

It took you a second, but you remembered that Undyne was the aquatic blue monster from the underground, from Gaster's memories. You laughed once you got the pun.

 

After lunch, the two of you continued sparring. Sans mixed it up, alternating between striking with the stick and throwing bones at you. You learned to dodge with your body, and to phase out your hands when necessary.

Sometimes, you wouldn't be fast enough to dodge, and a bone would hit you. It hurt, but physical damage, you quickly learned, could be healed with your magic power, since the actual damage was in your soul. It just made you even more tired to heal. All you had to do was touch a summoned hand to the area and will for it to be healed, and it worked.

 

Sans also taught you the various kinds of magic attacks you could expect. White attacks, like the bones, were most common, and damaged you if they contacted you. Blue attacks would not damage you if you remained still, while orange ones wouldn't only if you were moving. You debated that, logically, everything was moving since the earth was turning and spinning around the sun, but Sans reminded you that this was magic and magic didn't care about science's rules.

 

As the sun began setting, you realized that training was drawing to a close. You were just as exhausted as you were a day ago after training, but you anticipated this.

Sans once again teleported you home. He also gave you a chip to put in your phone, saying it was for "dimensional storage" and that Gaster would know what to do. After thanking him and agreeing to meet him back outside your apartment building tomorrow morning, you headed inside.

When you got into your apartment and locked the door, you once again threw yourself haphazardly onto your bed, sprawling your limbs in comfort.

 

 

\----------

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FITg74aHW2M&list=PLQ9d5T2uaKg_NmIuTIEC9Vkg6kaF_q_Hh&index=12))

Gaster stared at the ceiling with the human. She had grown significantly in magical skill over the weekend- a feat which surprised him. He anticipated that she would do well, but she was better than he anticipated. He just hoped...

 

(Gast, I can feel you worrying again.)

 

He was a bit startled. (Sorry, I just hope that we trained you enough for this journey... I do not want you to get hurt. We don't know what to expect and-)

 

He felt her sigh, interrupting his words. (We'll be fine. Sans is coming to help us too, remember? And even though I've only trained a few days, I feel pretty good about dodging and defending myself.) She felt confident.

 

(I will admit, you picked up magic quite well- you are a fast learner- but remember, there will likely be powerful monsters that you have to face... in any case, I also believe that we will be able to protect you. I... may worry too much...) He felt a tinge of embarrassment...

He threw up a wall to guard his thoughts slightly. The reason he felt so worried... he did not want the human to get injured, or worse. Being with her all this time... he was closer to her than he had been with anyone else. She was unlike any being he had ever encountered- passionate, determined, kind, optimistic, and curious. Even after all of the slaughter she had seen in her dreams, all the horrors that confronted her future... she wanted to help him with a genuine desire. And he genuinely wanted her to continue living, and to not be damaged by all the horrific things in the monster realm.

But... having never been this close to another being, he didn't want to share all of this. He didn't want to burden her with his worrying any more than he already was. He also kept his emotional distance whenever he thought back to the experiments and atrocities he had committed as the royal scientist...

 

The human souls... determination extraction... What would she think if he told her what he had done? What would she think when even the more frightening parts of him accumulated in her body?

 

He felt her smile. He liked feeling her smile, he thought quietly, with the warmth radiating from her emotionally like a sun.

 

(It's ok, Gast. You don't need to worry that much. Leave the worrying to me, alright? I took on this mission- and I'm gonna see it through until we get you whole again.)

 

Once again, he was deeply moved by her passion. Of course, he did not let this obviously show.

(Thank you, ______, for everything...)

 

(Don't mention it! I'm glad to be able to help you.) She sat up slowly, still feeling exhausted. (In the mean time, what should I be wearing and packing for tomorrow?)

(End ST)

(Ah, that is right. Did you put the chip Sans gave you in your phone yet?)

 

(No, I don't know how... would you mind...?)

 

(Not at all...) Gaster moved his consciousness forward. It was strange, being in control of a body that wasn't his. But at least he was able to help her in doing some things.

He held her phone and pried away the cover to the back. He removed the large battery pack, which confused the human. He took the chip, and with a few pushes and movements of the exposed electronics, lodged it in the phone. Once he replaced the cover, he turned on the phone's screen. Then he gave her back control.

An alert crossed the screen.

DIMENSIONAL BOXES A, B, C, D, AND E ADDED.

(These are a bit of technology infused with monster magic. You can hold your phone close to an item, and it will register with your phone. You can then store it within a "dimensional box" that your phone can access, and the item will disappear and reappear when needed.)

 

(You're telling me... I can essentially upload physical things.... to my phone?) She grew very, very excited.

 

(Yes.) He was amused by her excitement. (Also, you don't have to worry about the battery any more. Monster cellphone service charges the phone with magic, and is generated throughout the underground by the core, and aboveground by installments.)

 

(Oh my god, why doesn't this exist for every phone now?!) She was very, very happy, and grabbed her pillow. She was going to test it.

 

(It hasn't been developed commercially yet, I think. I developed it a while ago, and I suppose it continued on in the underground...)

 

She held her phone to the pillow. The screen displayed another alert.

>OBJECT RECOGNIZED- FLUFFY PILLOW

>STORE?

>Y/N

 

"Hell yes, store!" She said aloud.

 

>YES

>DIM BOX A

 

The pillow grew transparent and lightened in her hand, and faded from existence.

 

>DIM BOX A: FLUFFY PILLOW ADDED.

 

As she closed the notification, she noticed apps that looked like boxes with A-E on them. She opened A and saw the FLUFFY PILLOW in text. She clicked on it.

 

>FLUFFY PILLOW:

>INFO: a pillow from home, soft and fluffy

>RETRIEVE?

>Y/N

 

She clicked yes, and in front of the phone, floating in the air, the pillow phased into existence. She watched, wide eyed, as it stayed floating even once it was solid.

Then she reached and grabbed it, and it was immediately subject to gravity as it flopped in her hand.

 

(Holy crap that is cool.... how much can these boxes store?)

 

Gaster found her amazement enjoyable. Having developed this tech, he took it for granted, having used it for several years.

(The boxes can store 10 items each, assuming each item is inside a size limit. Also, in case you were wondering, if you lose or damage your phone, the boxes are tied to your soul signature, so any monster tech device can access your boxes.)

 

She tossed her pillow back on her bed, now filled with energy despite her previous exhaustion. (Oh man, I am so pumped right now... I can pack, like, everything.) She raced to her closet and opened the door, grabbing a backpack. (Can the boxes register things within things? Like if I had a backpack full of snacks?)

 

(Yes, as long as you think of the container as the object you are storing, and the container is within the size limit. A backpack will fit, but something like a trunk or wardrobe will not.)

 

She squealed a bit, surprising Gaster. She felt his surprise.

(Sorry, I've just never been so excited to pack before. It's like, all the fun without the hassle of having to lug stuff around. Thank you so much for making this, Gaster...)

 

(I am glad to help, _____. I am also glad you are excited, it reminds me that this trip will likely be things other than dangerous.)

 

 

\--------

 

 

After hearing Gaster, you began rushing around to pack things up. You stacked things on your bed, getting them ready for upload to the boxes. You had an outfit for cold weather, one for hot weather, gear for extreme weather, sleeping bags and a few pillows of varying thicknesses, a literal backpack full of boxed snacks and cereal from your pantry, a first aid kit.... was there anything else you were forgetting?

Oh, toiletries. That's right. Did monsters have or need bathrooms? You had to maintain yourself somehow, you thought.

As you went to the bathroom, you thought about your time of the month. Oh, wait.

 

Your last period was... oh no... it was scheduled for next week.

 

Thankfully, Gaster was not paying attention enough to notice your thoughts directly. Only your slight panic.

 

(What is wrong? You feel a bit frightened.)

 

(Oh... don't worry about it... at least, not yet.) You blurred your thoughts. You weren't ready to talk about reproductive cycles with Gaster just yet.

 

Gaster was confused, but respected your privacy. He then withdrew, thankfully giving you precious time to collect your necessary goods and pack them in a bag, along with your shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, and other bathroom supplies.

Once you were satisfied you packed everything you needed, you began uploading the stuff. Clothes went in box C, Food in box A, medical and emergency stuff in box E, and boring stuff like toiletries in box B. You also included things like laundry soap and paper and pencils in that box, since you didn't know how long this trip would take. You left box D empty, in case you found some nifty stuff in your travel.

Once you had packed everything in your phone away, you once again began to feel incredibly tired. It was also nearly midnight. You also were hungry.

You still had Gaster's quiche in the fridge, so you popped the dish in the microwave and began to eat directly from the whole pie again.

 

(...) Gaster was still surprised at your eating style.

 

(Yo, this is my quiche, and nobody besides you can judge me. Plus, you can tell how much I like this. It's so freaking good.) You inhaled the food while you thought-spoke.

 

(Once again, correct as always.) He was amused by your answer.

 

You had a concerning thought. (This won't spoil while we are away, right? Since the machine can time travel?)

 

(Indeed. It will be safe.)

 

(Awesome.) You filled yourself on the quiche, and headed to bed.

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8HkQ2i7cn8))

(Gee, I wonder what depressing dreams will come tonight?) you mused, both humorously and sadly.

 

(Remember, we have no way of knowing if these dreams are real. Also, things in your dream cannot hurt you.) Gaster tried to ease your sad worry.

 

(Yeah...) You felt a bit better. You were very glad to have Gaster with you to talk about these dreams. It would be a bit much for one person to deal with.

 

As you settled into your bed, you felt Gaster's mind.

It was calm, and radiated kindness and soothing to ease your fears. It was quiet, yet you knew he was there, comforting you.

 

You fell asleep with a small smile on your face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoah, over 1000 hits? I'm so happy!  
> Anyways, this chapter was really fun to write.  
> Wouldn't you be going ham if your phone could do that? I know I would...
> 
> And get pumped- once you are awake, the adventure begins!
> 
> (Expect chapters a bit more quickly now, I'm on work break! :D)


	18. Determined

You feel a cold wind drift over you. You shiver.

Oh, so your body can move.

You open your eyes, and the snowy forest greets you, the one from your earlier dream.

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vaSosNWHCY))

"... hello..." Oh good, you could talk now.

 

It seemed like this would be another dream like the last, depressing, realistic, with slightly more control of your body.

As you heard footsteps behind you and turned, you were proven right.

 

The swapped Papyrus stood there, eyeing you carefully.

 

"i remember you. you were there when i... when the human..." He looked off to the side, unwilling to continue.

 

"I know why you killed them- you were protecting your brother." Your voice was truly at normal strength, although it was sad.

 

Papyrus looked at you surprised, but sad. "that was three years ago... how are you here, now? what even are you?"

 

You looked at your hands. They were still transparent, but more opaque than they had been in the last dream.

"I don't know why I am here. I don't even know if any of this- or you- are real. Though I have a feeling it- or, you- are."

 

Papyrus laughed softly and sadly. "heh, i question that too sometimes. yet every time i wake up i'm still here."

 

You give a small smile, and walk up to the skeleton. He takes a step back, hesitantly, but you continue approaching. You reach to touch his arm...

And it makes contact. You manage to hold your hand in solid phase.

"Huh, I guess we are both here then." You smile in encouragement. You remove your hand.

"Is Sans doing ok, since that happened?"

 

Papyrus nodded. "i think he has mostly forgotten. i'm glad he has. but... sometimes he asks about you."

 

You raised an eyebrow. "Oh? He remembers me?"

 

He nodded. "you left an impression on both of us. for him, because he wanted to help you find your voice. for me, because i still have no idea what the hell you are, where you come from, or what you want. you're a mystery."

 

You laughed. "Well, you're a mystery too! I know a Papyrus, but he acts like your brother, and the Sans I know acts a whole lot like you."

 

Papyrus' face deadpans. "where are you from?"

 

"I'm from a world that is pretty similar to yours- but one where the monsters have broken the barrier and live with humans on the surface, relatively peacefully." You eye his face for any reaction.

 

He raises his eyeridges incredulously. "an alternate universe, huh? maybe even an alternate timeline... then, what are you?"

 

You opened your mouth to speak. "I'm-"

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE9nS2fM3YM&list=LLGD9L23LXJgAKbtj77S1wtg&index=2))

A screech rang through your ears, deafening you. You doubled over, holding your ears, but the noise kept going.

 

Papyrus rushed to you, trying to hold your shoulders, but phasing through you. Your body was shimmering and spiking like an unsteady signal.

You looked at Papyrus. His mouth was moving frantically, and he was looking at you, but you couldn't hear a thing he said over the screech. You wrenched your eyes shut in pain.

 

It sounded like static crossed with computer booting crossed with an ungodly roar. It also was getting louder, echoing in your head.

 

"...stop..." you said as loud as you could manage. The pain was intense.

 

The sound then reached a climax, and suddenly dropped in pitch and volume until it was a quiet, low base rumbling, nearly beyond your realm of hearing.

 

You opened your eyes. There was only darkness.

 

Oh, no...

 

 

An image shimmered into existence in front of you, about five feet away. It was your reflection, bearing the same frightened face and huddled frame.

 

"... what..." the reflection's mouth did not move with yours, even though you felt yours move.

You moved an arm, and the reflection's moved. You moved it, and it followed.

 

"Why won't ..." Your mouth's reflection still didn't move.

 

Suddenly, your reflection smiled at you. It was terrifying.

 

You were terrified, but you gathered yourself.

Now you were angry.

Whatever force that was playing these games with you, it was here, you could feel it.

 

"What the hell do you want? Stop playing games with me." You spoke to your reflection, straightening your stance in intimidation. Your reflection did the same.

But it smiled stronger, and the smile grew past what you knew was a human face's capabilities. It was grotesque. Then it opened it's mouth.

 

"You've learned much. I'm proud." Your reflection's face beamed.

 

"Proud of what? The emotional scars you gave me? Why did you show me so many awful things? Who even are you?"

 

It smirked, and broke into soft laughter. "Part of you already knows the answer to the last question. I'm surprised he hasn't shared it with you."

 

Ice gripped your chest.

 

"I showed you these things for simple reasons."

 

Your heart was shaking.

 

"To test you."

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY60oXuzp-o))

....

 

"What you have taken on is no easy task, human. I want to be sure you are prepared."

 

"Do you know what is going to happen to me?" Your voice was low and monotone.

 

Your reflection broke from your stance entirely, no longer matching your terrified stance. It walked closer to you, which was especially scary because you were watching yourself move towards you with a small smile.

"Even I cannot predict the future. Especially with you in the picture." It placed it's hand on your shoulder. The hand had a full hole in the palm, you noticed.

"I can only prepare you for what is to come. And I can share with you a bit of what has already happened. You are already changing the course of events, but do try to be sure that it is in the right direction." It smiled wider.

 

You gathered the courage to speak. "You're in another universe, aren't you?"

 

The smile widened. A dark crack began to stretch from each eye.

 

"You ... are a part of Gaster..."

 

The smile widened further, and the cracks stretched further.

 

You smiled in return. You knew just what to say.

"You say you are testing me... but I'd like you to know..."

 

You stepped closer to your strange reflection, grin widening.

"... I'm ready for you. I'm ready to bring you back together."

 

The face raised an eyebrow, the cracks growing wider.

 

"Whatever hurdles or dreams you send my way, I can and will succeed."

 

"Oh?"

 

"Absolutely." From the back of your mind a phrase rose. You knew it was perfect.

 

"I will, because I am full of **determination**."

 

The face's grin widened darkly, and the cracks completed their stretch. Your face no longer looked like your face, but like Gaster's when you met him in the void.

 

"I look forward to meeting you soon, ______."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANOTHA' ONE.
> 
> Hope y'all are ready for adventurin' times...
> 
> Be sure to pack your tissues and DETERMINATION


	19. A Step Through the Door

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-7jG8vLlHE))

You opened your eyes immediately as you gained consciousness.

 

It was today.

 

Today you were going on...

... and adventure.

 

You could feel Gaster sigh in anxiousness.

 

(Oh my god Gast, can you at least try to be excited with me?)

 

You whipped the covers back and stood up, stretching, making all your joints crack.

 

That dream... sure was scary, but it definitely made you feel determined.

 

You wanted to meet this freaky, slightly twisted part of Gaster and get him back with this piece. Then Gaster would be closer to being whole and being able to actually live.

You were also glad that you resolved why you were having these dreams.

Everything seemed so clear.

 

You stripped out of your outfit with not a concern in the world. Gaster was sputtering mentally, and you mentally stuck your tongue out at him. You were careful to not look down, however. You strolled into the bathroom and into the shower. You could feel Gaster hastily retreat into the back of your mind, flustering about decency and warning him.

 

Today was the day. You were going with Sans through the portal, with magic and a monster-tech phone at your side, and getting stuff done.

 

After your shower, you looked at the clock. It was about 15 minutes until you were scheduled to meet with Sans outside. You remembered suddenly that eating was a thing that humans needed to do, and so you happily pulled out your phone and summoned your favorite cereal.

 

As it materialized in front of you, you questioned why you ever thought you would be ok living a normal life. You grabbed the box.

 

You tore into the kitchen and grabbed the milk, humming a tune mindlessly. Without realizing it, you also summoned a hand that opened a cupboard and got out a bowl, which you then poured the cereal into.

 

As you crunched the cereal, you thought about Gaster.

 

If he did think that the dream person was another part of himself, he never told you. But it did make sense. He was the first one to show up in your dream. And he wanted to make sure you were able to handle what was coming- just like this Gaster giving you magic training.

Despite being terrifying, and maybe cruel for showing you those things, he was still looking out for you.

 

Huh.

 

The Gaster in your mind was off minding (hah) his own business, thinking of the trip and not noticing your thoughts about his other fragment.

 

(Oi, Gast. You ready for today? Cause I am.)

 

(Yes, I can very much tell.) He thought a bit. (I was wondering- will the first universe we reach be the one from the dreams?)

 

Hm... you were wondering that too.

 

(And will Papyrus and Sans remember us?) he asked.

 

(All good questions... which we will find out shortly!) You put your bowl in the sink, the milk in the fridge, and put the cereal back in the dim. box. You threw on your jacket, your favorite scarf, and then your best adventuring shoes.

 

You texted Sans, " _I'm ready! Meet you outside soon._ "

 

As you headed down the stairs, you asked, (I should tell him about the dreams again, right? It will probably be useful to know.... what we saw...)

 

Gaster agreed. (Yes, that would be advisable. You told him about the first dream, but we didn't think it was as relevant as we do now... especially....)

 

(.... That we know that they are from another piece of your soul?) You could easily finish his thought- you shared the same mind.

 

(Yes... I am sorry for not telling you my suspicions earlier. It wasn't until last night's dream it was confirmed, however.)

 

You nodded in understanding. (It's all good, Gast. I know what is coming now, at least, sort of.) You stepped outside your apartment.

 

A short skeleton stood there, and turned as he heard the door open. His grin widened.

"ready?"

 

You gave two thumbs up, and a grin back. "Absofreakinglutely."

 

(End ST)

\----------

 

 

You asked to walk for a bit before he teleported you to the machine. On the walk, you told him about what happened in the dreams, entirely. It was a bit painful for you to talk about how Papyrus killed the human kid, considering that you didn't know if that was unique to that alternate universe, or if this Sans went through something similar with his brother... you hoped not.

Sans stayed silent through your explanation. At the end, you both stopped on the corner of a block.

He closed his eyes, with a blank expression he wore the entire time you walked.

 

"thanks for telling me that." He opened his eyes. "i'm glad that we have some idea who we will be dealing with. the other gaster piece, he said 'see you soon', right?"

 

You nodded. Something like that.

 

"then he will probably be our first visit, somehow." He offered you his arm, which you accepted as a means of teleportation. "shall we be off to the machine?"

 

"Let's go."

 

You blinked, and you were there. The machine was humming softly, lights blinking green, screens reading calm signals.

You and Sans walked towards the machine, unlinking arms.

 

"i packed a lot of monster food and emergency supplies inside my dim boxes. you're all packed an ready too, right?" Sans eyed you nervously.

 

You gave another thumbs up. Your heart was beating a bit fast from excitement and anxiousness. "I am very ready."

 

Sans smiled. "great. g, you want to dial in your soul signature?"

 

Gaster once again asked for permission to take control. (May I?)

 

(Of course.) You stepped back from your body's control.

 

He straightened your posture, which you were getting used to at this point, and placed his hand on a screen. After a few moments the words "SOUL FRAGMENT LOCATED" ran across the screen. The five coordinates were automatically registered, and he gave you back control.

 

"i guess we are ready to go then. are you and g good to roll out?" Sans hovered his finger over the button that you knew meant "dial".

 

(I am ready when you are, ____. And... once again... thank you, for everything.) He was genuinely thankful to you, which warmed your insides a bit.

 

You grinned and nodded. "Let's do this."

 

Sans pressed the button, and the machine whirred, growing louder, lights flickering. Then the noise died down, and the lights all turned solid.

 

"i'll go first, to make sure it's safe. then you can come through, ok?" Sans gripped the door handle. He opened it...

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcJkdtW-AIA))

Hot air rushed through the door. He stepped through, looking left and right, still not releasing the door handle. After looking intensely, he motioned for you to follow.

 

You took the door handle from him and went through...

 

It was super hot. You were in what appeared to be a brownish-orange cave. Hotland, your mind immediately told you.

You closed the door. This side of it didn't look like a normal bedroom door, but closer to a plain gray door with a simple knob.

 

"Does.... the door stay here then?"

 

"yeah, it can only be seen by monsters or humans from our timeline, though. It can also only be opened with a soul signature from someone who previously went through it."

 

You nodded, taking off your jacket and scarf and uploading them to your phone.

"Well, where to first? Gaster, can you sense your soul fragment or anything?"

 

(I can sense a general direction... ) He indicated mentally to your left, down the hall towards Sans.

 

"Gaster says the fragment is probably that way," You gestured.

 

"great, looks like-"

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a99D-yhjX8o))

Armored footsteps cut him off. You saw from behind him a short, stocky figure in armor approaching. It was Alphys- the captain of the Royal Guard. She had her helmet off.

 

"Hey, punks! What are you doing this far from... wait... SANS?" She froze in place with an expression of utter confusion.

 

Sans turned to look at her. "wow, kid, you weren't kidding around..." he said quietly to you. What appeared to be sweat beaded from his brow.

 

"What is UP with you? Is it dress-like-your-lazy-sibling day? And who's your pal, here?" Alphys walked closer, now about 10 feet away from the two of you.

 

"uh, hi, alphys. this is _____, a visiting... cousin... from the capitol." You waved shyly, hoping this would make any sense to her.

 

Unsurprisingly her eyebrows raised in disbelief. "You... are never this good at impersonating your bro..." She hesitated walking closer, and summoned a huge axe in her hand, and pointed it towards you.

 

You felt a tug... your soul was being pulled.

Well, your souls.

 

Before you, your soul emerged from your chest, as well as the tiny shard of Gaster's, bonded to the bottom point of yours. Fear, anger, and confusion washed over her face.

"Alphys, please, just let us go... we mean you no harm..."

 

"You're HUMAN... aren't you?" She gripped her axe tightly, rage contorting her features.

 

You tried tugging your soul back in your chest, but it wouldn't move.

 

"Well, mostly. You see this bit here?" You pointed to Gaster's fragment.

 

"I'm on a mission to help a monster- I want nothing more than to help him- so if you can let us be on our way-"

 

"I heard rumors of a human traveling through the underground..." She eyes Sans carefully, still clutching the axe. "But both of you... don't seem like you belong here."

 

This time, Sans spoke up.

"you got me, i'm not the sans you know. and trust me, this is not the human you are looking for." He stood in front of you, directly between you and Alphys.

"we aren't from here, but we don't want any trouble. in fact, we are looking for someone too."

 

She stayed silent, glaring daggers... or, maybe axes, at the two ofyou.

 

"have you heard rumors of a fragmented soul? or a monster called gaster?"

 

She slowly shook her head. Then she changed her stance to be less threatening and stood normally, and leaned the axe on one shoulder. She sighed.

"Assuming I believe you freaks, I have not heard of any sort of fragments or this so-called 'Gaster'. But..." She gestured behind her with a tilt of her head. "I can take you to someone who might."

 

You stepped around Sans, suddenly able to pull your souls back inside your body. After you did that, you smiled gratefully at Alphys.

"That would be great! Thank you so much, Alphys!"

 

She harrumphed, and turned, walking away from you. Sans and you hesitantly followed.

 

"well. that went better than expected," Sans said quietly to you.

 

"Yup. Even though she is scary, she seems nice? I just wonder who she is taking us to."

 

As if in response to your question, Alphys spoke up, loudly.

"I'm taking you to our royal scientist, in case you were curious. Doctor Undyne may know who you are looking for, or what the heck a soul fragment is."

 

"Thank you again for helping us... you are a really nice monster, Alphys."

 

She harrumphed and hoisted her axe on her shoulder again, but you could see a faint red tinge to her cheeks as she turned her head away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THE FIRST AU IS........
> 
>  
> 
> So, these AUs might have different geography than the original undertale. 
> 
> Just sayin'.
> 
> Also, almost to 100 kudos... so excited. May do something extraspecial then...


	20. The Lab in Waterfall

[(ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNN0HyO3rM4))

As you three traversed the hot corridor, Alphys led you through a serious of puzzles designed to confuse humans. They were especially fun when you didn't have to know how to solve them, but you had a monster show you the way.

As she stepped on steam vents that launched her 30 feet ahead onto another platform, you were a bit terrified, but since she yelled happily the whole way, you figured it could be fun.

 

You stepped on the vent, and it blew you upwards with a force that you didn't know hot air could have. You shrieked in reaction as your soared towards Alphys.

 

Your landing could have been much better planned... as you came down, you managed to land softly, but still kept the momentum, and plowed straight towards the armor-clad monster. But instead of moving, she reached out and stopped you, grabbing your shoulders and stepping back a bit to keep you from slamming into her.

 

"First time on the steam vents?" She gave you a toothy grin, releasing your shoulders. Despite her stocky frame, she still was a bit taller than you.

 

"Y-yep! Sorry 'bout that..." You gave her a weak smile, heart still pounding from the flight.

 

Sans slowly walked beside you. You then realized that he probably didn't have to take any of the vents- he could just teleport.

 

"if there's any good place to let off some steam, it's hotland." He gave a wide grin at you and Alphys.

 

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You really are just like Papyrus, with those goddamn puns! Follow me, you fools." She continued onwards, stepping onto another steam vent and launching into the air, yelling in excitement.

 

It was going to be a long, exciting trip to see Undyne...

 

 

\--------

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VodS-cavlYA))

Once the hot air began to cool down and be replaced by damp coolness, you began to feel much better. Alphys, however, did not look as comfortable.

 

"Ugh, the dampness here is not good for armor or scales..." Alphys rubbed the back of her neck plate. "But... I've been wondering. Where are you two punks from?"

 

You eyed Sans, and he shrugged. You decided to tell her.

 

"We... are, uh, from another universe... one kind of the opposite of yours, in a way." You tried to sound not crazy, but it was challenging.

 

She snorted. "Hah, that's hilarious. Although it would make sense, given Sans' getup here..." She crooked her head at Sans.

 

Sans shrugged again. "what can i say, i'm a sucker for comfort." He trudged along in his slippers and hoodie.

 

"But really, another universe? That's some sciencey shit right there. Undyne would love that... like something right out of her history movies." You were confused by what history movies she meant, but decided to ignore it.

 

Now your surroundings looked much like the Waterfall you knew from your memories, except the layout was all wrong. You also felt Gaster grow anxious.

(What's up Gast? Feel something?)

 

(Yes... we are getting closer to the fragment...)

 

"Gaster says we are getting closer to the fragment," you alerted Sans. Alphys also overheard, and gave you a quizzical look.

 

You laughed awkwardly. "Haha, yeah, I, uh, have part of Gaster's soul bonded to mine, so we can chat and stuff."

 

Her face looked even more confused. "Whatever you say, punk. We are almost there anyways... There it is."

 

You looked ahead of you, and a metal structure loomed out of the damp, blue-tinted earth. It was a pretty simple building. It had one door, a big sign that said "LAB" in huge letters, and a few exhaust pipes sticking out from its sides and top.

You entered the building, with the door giving a mechanical " _whirp_ " as the doors automatically opened.

 

"Hey, Doc! Got some company you need to meet." Alphys unconjured her axe she had been holding on her shoulder the whole trip. She then stood off to the side and leaned against the wall, next to a computer monitor that looked familiar... wait..

 

This was the lab from your dreams. So, then...

 

A faint voice rang from down the room.

 

"O-oh? Alphys?" A blue fish monster peered out from around a corner. She wore cute glasses, and had her bright red hair in a bun with bangs sweeping over her forehead to the side. Despite being a foot taller than you, she still managed to look incredibly cute and tiny.

She nervously walked up to the three of you, eyeing you and Sans curiously. She held her hands close together nervously, in front of her chest.

 

"U-um, hi there. I'm Dr. Undyne. But just Undyne is fine." She waved shyly, still looking baffled and nervous, eyeing Alphys for some sort of explanation or introduction.

 

Alphys snorted. "These guys showed up on my patrol of Hotland. Got real confused, especially since this one-" she pointed to you, "-is human, and this one-" she pointed at Sans, "-is Sans but also not Sans."

 

Undyne nodded. "Yes, that is q-quite odd... Would you mind explaining ... who you two are?"

 

You nodded. "I'm ______, and as you guessed, this is Sans. Well, not the Sans you know. We're from an alternate universe and are traveling around looking for missing fragments of a monster's soul."

 

Undyne's face blanches a bit, and she looks to Alphys for confirmation of what she just heard. Alphys shrugs.

 

"Yep, same craziness they told me. The human even has part of a monster soul bonded to hers. And Sans acts just like Papyrus." A thought appeared to flash over her face, and she broke into laughter.

 

She pushed herself off the wall and headed for the entrance, still laughing.

 

"Man, I gotta call Sans and Papyrus and get them over here. They'd find this hilarious too. I'll leave you nerds to your sciencey universe shit!" She waved overhead as she headed through the door outside. "See ya later, chumps!"

 

As the door closed, Sans, you, and Undyne were left standing there.

There was awkward silence.

 

Eventually, Undyne worked up the courage to speak.

 

"S-so... another universe? But one similar to this?" She eyed Sans curiously.

 

Sans nodded. He still managed to look completely chill, with his hands in his hoodie pockets.

 

"yep. but people's roles and personalities seem swapped, somehow. as far as i understand, your papyrus acts a whole lot like me. also, the undyne i know is a royal guard, and reminds me a lot of this version of alphys."

 

"W-wow, me as captain of the r-royal guard?" She laughed nervously, fidgeting with her hands. "I can't imagine that..." She stared off to the side, seemingly sad.

 

That wasn't good.

"Well, we are looking for-"

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLcqvTxDk18&t=86s))

You froze mid-sentence. Behind Undyne you suddenly saw something move. In the shadows of the lab behind her, you saw... a figure.

 

You saw a face. It had one wide and one drooping eye, with cracks running from them. It smiled calmly at you.

 

"Uh, Sans, did you see-" You glanced at Sans and pointed to where you saw the face. It was moving, along with a dark mass of shadows, seeping into a doorway down the lab's main room.

 

You grabbed Sans' sleeve.

 

"what's up, kid? what do you see?"

 

You finally manage to look at him, and the lights in his eyes gaze back into yours with concern.

 

 

"Over there-" You point to the door. "Gaster. He's in there."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 100 KUDOS. I am ded.
> 
> Have a cliffhanger! ;D


	21. The Lights in the Darkness

You felt the Gaster inside of your mind whir with anxiety.

 

"G-G-Gaster? How do you know Dr. G-Gaster?" Undyne sounded incredibly frightened.

 

"The monster we're trying to piece back together- it's him." You summoned your soul to show Undyne. "See? I am holding the pieces of him until we find all of them, and then he can become physical again. We sensed he was around here, but I just saw him go through that door- can we go in there Undyne?" You pulled your soul back inside your body.

 

She fidgeted with her hands even more intensely. "Y-you're helping him? The old royal scientist?..." She looked back towards the door cautiously.

"I guess... I can take you in there..." She began hesitantly walking towards down the hall, shaking, but motioning for you to follow with a weak wave of her webbed hand.

 

"Thank you so much- we literally just need to find his soul fragment and then we will be out of your way."

 

You noticed Sans had beads of sweat on his brow. You were nervous too, and Gaster was roiling with nerves, but you hoped that this would lead to his soul fragment.

 

"Is everything ok, Sans?" You asked quietly.

 

He looked at you out of the corner of his concerned eye sockets, not moving his head.

"if... this is anything like... the lab in our universe... then this will take us to the true lab."

 

Undyne overhead this.

"Y-yes, this is the elevator to the old lab- the one that Dr. Gaster .... used... for.... " She didn't continue. She instead swiped her ID and the doors opened with an uncannily deep "whirp".

 

The elevator was empty- it was just a normal elevator with two buttons. One that read "LAB 1" and the other "LAB 2". Once you were all inside, the scientist moved to press the LAB 1 button. Her hand hovered over it, trembling. She turned to look at you.

"I... must warn you... there are some... frightening things down here... even to monsters. You are the first... live... human down here." She gulped, watching your expression.

 

You steeled yourself, heart beating fast. Live human... wait, your dream.

 

This was probably where the human soul you saw went.

You swallowed, your mouth dry. You then looked Undyne directly in the eyes with your most unafraid expression you could muster and nodded.

 

"It's ok. I need to do this."

 

Undyne seemed to sense your determination and steeled herself as well, looking back to the buttons.

 

"Then I will help y-you to the best of my ab-bility." She pressed the button, and the doors closed behind the three of you.

 

The elevator began moving with an eerie hum. It was deep, and made you feel quite unnerved. The air pressure was getting stronger, making your ears pop. You must have been going very quickly down...

 

After a length of time, you realized you were still going down. Nobody said anything.

But Gaster broke the silence in your mind.

 

(______.... if this is anything like my lab... there are some things... I should have told you...) The guilt was returning in full force.

 

You felt yourself sink deeper into his disturbed emotional state. It was easy to do so- you were both nervous and concerned.

 

(If... this is about the soul that we saw in my one dream... the one Undyne called... 'a new sample'... does that mean....) You didn't have to finish your question.

 

(.... I am sorry to say that I have performed many, many experiments that would be considered unethical... and I am sorry... that you have to see some of them... first hand.)

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb8E8NQCErg))

The elevator stopped, and the doors opened.

Immediately, a damp fog and darkness greeted you. There was also eerie silence, mixed with...

 

Well, the sounds you heard could only be described in creepy terms that you didn't really want to try defining now. You were already scared enough.

 

Water seemed to drip from under-maintained ceiling fixtures. The puddles that lie on the tiles reflected the hazy fog that settled over everything.

 

Undyne stepped in front of you, and pulled a small pen-shaped flashlight from the breast pocket of her lab coat. The beam cut through the fog.

 

"Can you sense what direction he headed?" The room appeared to divert into two different hallways, on either side of the elevator.

 

As Undyne shown her flashlight at one, you saw a movement in the other. A dark shadow moved further into the hallway.

 

You made a face. Just what kind of game was this Gaster playing? Didn't he want to live a normal life and join the other fragment of himself?

The Gaster inside your mind shared with you his sense of the fragment's presence. It was indeed gliding down the hallway, and stopping at some point along, seeming to wait for you to continue.

 

"He's there." You pointed at the other, dark hallway. Undyne redirected her light to it. You could see the beam of light tremble a bit.

 

"Let's go onward, then." The light reflected in her glasses, obscuring her eyes from your sight, but you could tell she was trying to be brave.

 

The three of you began walking down the hallway.

 

Suddenly, you felt a surge of energy. Your vision brightened.

"good, idea, kid. that will brighten up the place." Sans smiled at you, and his one eye flickered and a blue tendril of light crept from his large iris.

 

Still not knowing what was going on, you looked at Undyne, who gasped at your eyes.

 

"W-wow, you must have some magical ability of Gaster's then..." She pointed to her own eyes in reference to yours.

 

You pulled out your phone and once again checked it's shiny reflection to see your irises glowing white in the darkness, illuminating your features.

 

(I thought it might help in this dark place...) So, it was Gaster who triggered that.

 

(Thanks, Gast. Good idea.)

 

The three of you continued, with Sans' glowing eye, your glowing irises, and Undyne's flashlight leading the way.

 

You reached a room. There were... beds. Many, many beds with blue blankets. Pet food dishes lines the floor, as well as bits of kibble.

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dum2Z2h30U4))

Undyne's flashlight started trembling even more.

"U-um... there are some... monsters down here.... that might scare you, just for y-your inform-mation..."

 

Sans eyed Undyne with concern.

"the amalgamates?"

 

Shock crossed her face, and her eyes teared up.

"H-how do you know about them?"

 

Sans walked to her and gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"in our universe, alphys did the same thing... she regretted her actions so deeply that she hid them from the rest of the underground..."

 

"A-and...?"

 

"... a human child came along and taught her that even though she had made mistakes, that they didn't define her, and that the underground would be a better place with the amalgams and her than without." His eyes, you could tell, even in this dark, were full of compassion.

 

Undyne's beam of light shook even more. You saw tears collect at the bottom of her jaw.

You didn't quite understand all of what Sans meant by "amalgamates", but you felt compelled to do something.

 

So, doing what you do when someone was crying for a reason you didn't know, you walked up to Undyne and gave her a soft hug.

"It's ok, Undyne."

 

She dropped the flashlight, and hugged you back, softly shaking, unable to speak. She was much taller than you, but she still managed to crouch a bit to hug you properly.

 

(End ST)

Once you opened your eyes, you immediately recognized a face in the dark shadows behind her. It smiled, and a ghostly hand with a hole in the palm gave a "come hither" motion with the index finger. It then disappeared into the shadow of another corridor.

 

Still being hugged, you gently said, "Gaster just went in there, by the way." You pointed with a hand behind Undyne's back. Sans nodded.

 

Undyne released you and gathered herself, picking up the flashlight. Wordlessly, you all continued on in the hall, past the beds and dishes. You tried not to flinch as you stepped on kibble bits with soft crunches.

This hall was long, and monitors lined the walls. They flickered on with green messages that you were going too fast to read. Nobody commented on them, so you decided not to ask.

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oTAdptGl7o))

At the end of the hall, you entered a chamber that housed a huge machine. It was terrifying, to say the least. Cords connected the ceiling to a skull-like structure that appeared to have huge eye sockets. It was wholly intimidating, as well as 20 feet tall.

 

You were also extra terrified of it because of the emotional reaction of Gaster.

 

He was in a bad place. The times you had felt guilt and sorrow and despair from him before- this was much stronger. This machine... what did it do?

And then you saw a shelf beside the machine...

 

On it sat six containers, glowing with different colors.

 

They were clear.

 

And inside of them were six human souls.

 

Light Blue, Orange, Dark Blue, Purple, Green, and Yellow.

 

Six.

Six souls.

 

You remembered the dream of Alphys attacking the child with the frying pan, the sickening crunch of the brave child's body hitting the tree...

 

You swallowed, feeling your heart freeze. This was them.

 

You could see whisps of white light swirl from your eyes. Also, tears threatened to show with a hot sting to your face.

 

But you steeled yourself.

 

This... had already happened. And you reminded yourself that humans had killed many, many more monsters in the Great War. And that anti-monster violence and hate was a serious issue in your town.

 

The whisps of light from your eyes died down. You took a few breaths, closing your eyes.

 

When you opened your eyes again, Sans and Undyne were in front of you, watching you with sadness and concern.

 

"you alright, _____?"

"I'm... so sorry you had to see this... I thought-"

 

"I'm. OK." You forced out these words, hoping your voice would not betray your or Gaster's inflamed emotions.

 

But behind them, you saw Gaster again.

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCGq9VHpnHY))

He stood by the souls, with his blurry dark back turned away from you, only his face illuminated by the soul's glow.

Both Sans and Undyne turned to see what you were looking at.

 

He turned towards you, and his face was the same small smile you remembered. His figure was dimly silhouetted with a rainbow halo from the souls.

His smile turned into a sideways smirk, and he nodded, slowly, at you.

 

(End ST)

Then, he faded away. You could feel Gaster's sense of him suddenly vanish. He was no longer here, not even close.

 

"i assume you saw gaster over there?" Sans turned back towards you and crooked his head in the direction of the souls.

 

"Yeah, didn't you?"

 

He shook his head. "apparently only you can see 'im. makes sense, seeing how you've _caught his eyes_." He pointed at his eyes, once again referring to yours, which were still glowing.

 

You smiled a bit, still too shocked to laugh.

 

"Yeah... but he's gone now. Like, gone-gone. He's not around here any more, not even close. Gaster lost sense of him."

 

Sans frowned. Undyne also looked sad.

 

"W-well, I guess we can head back up to my lab.... since he's not here anymore. Alphys is probably back by now."

 

You and Sans nodded, and headed back with her through the hallway.

Before you left, however, you saw a small table with a single potted flower and an empty syringe. You briefly questioned how it could stay alive without any light, but figured it was magic or something.

 

Gaster and you both kept a silent sadness... neither of you said anything.

 

This fragment of Gaster... the one from your dream. He said he was trying to test you.

Whatever games he was playing, you had a feeling this wasn't the end.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You didn't think it would be this easy, did you?
> 
> Also, just to be clear, the soul fragment you are searching for is originally from your universe, not from this one.   
> The Gaster that was Undyne's predecessor? Still a mystery...


	22. A Reunion

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qUAjsf0UIY&t=19s))

Once you were all back up in the lab, you found a very agitated Alphys yelling at the three of you as soon as you stepped out of the elevator.

 

"THERE YOU PUNKS ARE!" She walked loudly up to you. "I've searched this entire place looking for you! Papyrus said he could tell you were here somewhere but we couldn't find you." She huffed.

You saw behind her, standing in the lobby of the lab, were Papyrus and Sans.

 

Sure enough, they were the two you remembered from your dreams. Papyrus in an orange hoodie and gym shorts, and Sans in a hero costume with a blue scarf tied like a bandit's.

As soon as you made eye contact with them, their mouths gaped. Well, Sans' mouth just a larger version of his tooth-filled grin.

They looked at you, and then at Sans standing next to you. They still didn't say anything.

So, you decided to walk up to them. Your Sans seemed too shocked to move still.

 

"Uh, hi. I'm ______." You waved, once you were standing in front of them.

 

Both of their eyes followed your movements. They still said nothing.

You grinned, a bit mischievously. Maybe they remembered you?

 

"What? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0tNBJDeOes))

The swapped Sans- oh, you were just going to call him Little Sans, since he was shorter than you- was the first to speak, of course.

"YOU! YOU... CAN SPEAK NOW!" His grin was huge. "AND YOU'RE BACK! AND NOT TRANSPARENT!" He bounced over to you and held your hands in his own. He was too cute for your mind to handle, still.

 

"Yep, and thank you for trying to help me back then." You looked up at Papyrus, giving him a small smile. "Both of you."

 

Papyrus closed his mouth which was previously gaping. He seemed to be gathering the words to say.

"so... it is you. alphys said there was a strange human with a monster soul fragment... and it looks like i guessed right." He looked over towards your Sans, Alphys and Undyne.

 

Sans took this as his cue to come forward. Beads of sweat were on his brow.

"uh, hi. i'm ..." He looked down at the smaller Sans still holding your hands. ".... also sans."

 

Little Sans let go of your hands, and outstretched his hand to your Sans.

"IT IS NICE TO MEET ANOTHER SANS, EVEN ONE WHO IS SO MUCH LIKE MY LAZY BROTHER." They shook hands, and you saw Papyrus's face also have beads of sweat on it.

 

[(ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqqHhBo-BCY))

Once they were done (Little Sans shook his hand very strongly for a long period of time), Papyrus extended his hand, slowly.

"so..." Papyrus said deeply, ".... i have a feeling we are a bit similar."

 

You felt like the tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.

 

Sans held a serious face, and extended his slowly as well. "we'll see."

 

 

Once their hands met....

 

 

_ffffffbbbbbbbbbbbtttttttttttt....._

 

 

You could hardly believe your ears.

 

A fart noise? A _doubly loud_ fart noise?

 

Papyrus and Sans immediately cracked huge grins.

 

"the old whoopie cushion in the hand trick..." Sans began.

 

"... gets them every time." Papyrus finished.

 

Little Sans was irate.

"NOT ONLY ONE STUPID FART PRANK BUT TWO AT THE SAME TIME? THIS IS AWFUL."

 

They both shrugged, still grinning madly.

 

.... What.

 

Papyrus retracted his hand, grinning at you.

 

"so, i hear you're looking for a fragment of a monster's soul? and that you're from an alternate universe?" He extended his hand to you. "we've never been formally introduced, but sans and i do remember you. your name is ______?"

 

You shook his hand, but thankfully there was no fart noise. Novelty's gone, you thought.

"Yep. That's me. And you are Papyrus. I remember you from my dream... actually, my dream last night."

 

His eyesockets raised in confusion. "last night? i saw you a few months ago, before you ..." He looked pained. "... you disappeared. you looked like you were in pain before you did."

 

You nodded. "Yeah... my dreams were consecutive nights for me. I found out that they were actually deliberately timed... by the soul fragment trapped in this universe."

 

Papyrus' eyes seemed to look at you deeply again, like he was peering at your soul (which you knew he was). Then, he began to look at your features- your face, your slightly scarred hands- slowly putting it together. His eyes grew wide.

"that soul.... i know what monster you are bonded with."

 

Before you could reply, you felt your stomach flip in hunger, and give a very audible growl.

 

Little Sans immediately grabbed your hands again.

"_______! WHAT IS WRONG? IS YOUR BODY REVOLTING AGAINST YOU? WAS THAT SOUND A BAD SOUND?"

 

You laughed. "No, that's just my stomach telling me I'm hungry."

 

Little San's face grew very confused. "STOMACH? MONSTERS DON'T HAVE...." He suddenly had a thought, and you could almost see the lightbulb go off.

"ARE YOU A HUMAN?!"

 

You grinned. "Mostly."

 

Papyrus spoke up. "well, human or not, i think we should get some food." He looked at everyone- Undyne and Alphys had been watching the four of you and commenting on the exchange amongst themselves. In total, there was you, your Sans, Little Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, and Alphys.

 

Sans spoke next. "does grillbz own a pub down here too?"

 

Papyrus scoffed. "grillby? nah, he owns a baked goods business.

 

muffet'z is the place to be."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *grooves to Underswap Papyrus' theme*
> 
> Yeah, had to throw in a non-stressful (mostly) chapter. It was getting p tense.
> 
> Can't have our dear reader stressed out all the time, can we?
> 
> Stay tuned for text time, where our new gang will visit "Muffet'z".
> 
> (Meanwhile, don't mind Gaster's absence. He .... is still working on his emotions.)


	23. Burgers with a Side of Empathy

The monsters all escorted you and Sans through the underground. You were given many strange looks by the other monsters, and even more so for your Sans, but none seemed hostile, especially when they saw Alphys leading the group.

 

You passed through a bit of waterfall, then through Hotland, and then you finally reached Snowdin. You had to bring out your rain gear, then lose the gear, and then bring out a winter parka that you were glad you packed. How the climate in Hotland and Snowdin maintained itself, you had no idea, especially since they bordered each other.

 

Once at Snowdin, you came to a purple-colored restaurant, with a neon sign that said "Muffet's", along with a neon spider. Oh, this was the same Muffet that opened the pastry shop near your workplace! Well, maybe not the same, since this was a universe where everything was swapped...

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj17oW-blrw))

Upon entering, Papyrus got a few "hey Paps" and nods from the customers- it looked like he was a regular of this place the same way your Sans was a regular at Grillby's. Most of the customers were dogs, but seemed... a bit different than you remembered from Gaster's memories. They were swapped too, but seemed to be swapped only amongst themselves.

 

The inside of the building was a dark purple, with black and purple tiles on the floor, and chandeliers with spider webs tangled in them. Wait... the chandeliers were actually just made of spider webs, with balls of magic as the light sources. Little spiders sat on them, weaving and maintaining the lights. There was also a retro record player in the back corner, and Muffet was softly drying some dishes behind the bar, wearing a strange ... pair? .... of glasses, with a lense for each of her five eyes. She seemed very calm, and eyed your group with a subtle raise of an eyebrow.

 

But the whole place had a kind of eerily chill atmosphere. You could get used to a pub like this, you thought.

Thankfully, there were two booths open, back to back with each other. You and Sans sat down in one side of one, while Alphys, Undyne, and Little Sans sat in another. Papyrus headed up to Muffet and spoke a few words you couldn't hear. She held a slightly amused expression, and nodded, and Papyrus joined you and Sans at your booth.

 

Papyrus promptly reached inside his hoodie pocket and pulled out a few lollipops.

"want one?" He held them to you and Sans.

 

You both shook your heads no, so he put all away but one, which he then put in his mouth. It kind of looked like he was smoking, which fit his nonchalant appearance, but also fit Papyus' sweet nature, if he was anything like the Papyrus you knew. You noted this with a small smile.

 

There was a silence, except for the soft groovy music playing in the background. In that silence, you heard Little Sans and Alphys behind you have a passionate conversation about cooking. They were very loud, but you could hear Undyne softly laugh at their conversation.

 

Papyrus then spoke up.

"so.... just to clarify, you are from another universe similar to ours, where monsters are living with humans peacefully on the surface, and where everyone's roles and personalities are swapped...?"

 

You and Sans nodded.

 

"... and all those times we saw ____, was actually a dream for you, which was partially controlled by the soul fragment of the monster you have bonded with that is trapped within our universe?"

 

You nodded.

 

Papyrus seemed to take this in, and moved the lollipop from one side of his jaw to the other. He leaned forward on the table, hunching over with his elbows. He looked just at you now.

"and the monster that you are bonded with... is w. d. gaster, is it not?"

 

You nodded again. "Yep. You got it."

 

Sans now spoke. "the kid bonded with gaster back in our universe, after he appeared to her in a dream, and then in reality. the soul fragment we are looking for originally comes from our universe..." he paused, "... which means it is strange that you recognize this soul fragment she bonded with, especially if the roles and personalities of monsters here are swapped from our own..."

 

Papyrus leaned back, his eyesockets narrowing as he thought.

"well, what did the gaster you knew look like? i assume you knew him, sans, the same as i did."

 

Sans nodded. "he was tall, was always wearing lab coats, wore black clothes, looked kind of like a skeleton but without true bones.... had holes in the palms of his hands. does that sound like the gaster from here?"

 

You had seen Gaster in his dream state, dripping and not completely solid, but he still looked sort of like that then. You were curious what he looked like normally.

 

Papyrus nodded. "well, that sounds mostly like him. the gaster i knew wore extremely bright colors, which matched his extremely excitable and silly personality." Papyrus looked into the distance, with a melancholy expression. "sometimes it was easy to forget he was the royal scientist- he never seemed serious ... until..." He stopped speaking.

 

You felt a sorrow build up inside yourself. Why was it that in even this universe Gaster had something seemingly horrible happen to him?

 

Wait... Gaster was being awfully quiet. He hadn't said or expressed anything since the lab. You searched your mind for traces of his consciousness. You found him, deep in the back of your mind, mostly closed off from your own consciousness. You prodded at him wordlessly, hoping to evoke some sort of reaction.

 

Muffet then swept up gracefully to your booth, holding multiple trays of food in her many arms.She placed burgers in front of the three of you, and bottles of ketchup and mustard. The buns of the burgers were tinted purple, like everything in this place.

 

Papyrus grinned. "thanks, muffz. you know, i bet i couldn't find a better chef in the underground even if i _fried_."

 

You laughed a bit at that, and saw Sans also chuckle softly. Muffet only smiled. She reminded you of the quiet flame monster Grillby so much. She then glided away and served the adjacent booth their meals.

 

As you took a bite of your burger with much gusto (you were pretty hungry), you saw Papyrus also dig into his, after throwing away his lollipop stick. You then saw Sans open the burger, deposit way too much ketchup on it, replace the bun, and then take a swig of the ketchup bottle itself.

 

Papyrus grimaced. "as much as you seem like me, you are still just as much of a ketchup fan as my brother."

 

Sans grinned and took a bite of his burger. "you've caught me _red handed_." You only half appreciated the humor when ketchup oozed out the side of the burger.

 

You were all startled when you heard the sound of a near-empty bottle being squeezed to death. You looked over your shoulder towards the noise, where Little Sans was vigorously shaking the bottle, and appeared to be distressed.

 

The Sans sitting next to you promptly set down his burger, and tapped Little Sans on the shoulder. "hey."

 

Little Sans turned around with little blue tears in his eyesockets, still holding the empty red bottle. Your Sans then handed him the bottle of ketchup from your table.

 

"here ya go. i can't _bottle up_ my love for the stuff either."

 

Little Sans' expression changed instantly, and blue stars appeared in his eyesockets as his entire face lit up. He eagerly took the bottle.

"THANK YOU SO MUCH, STRANGE ME! I AM GLAD TO HAVE A FELLOW KETCHUP CONNOISSEUR WITH US."

 

Sans nodded, grinning. He then turned back towards you and Papyrus, who gave him a thankful smile.

 

As the three of you ate, you continued prodding Gaster. You even tried speaking with him.

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYZypKNPp_I&index=1&list=PLQ9d5T2uaKg_NmIuTIEC9Vkg6kaF_q_Hh))

(Gast... you ok? You've been silent for a while...)

 

You began to feel the walls he made weaken.

 

(... Is this about what we saw in the lab?) You took a bite of your food.

 

The walls thinned further, and you began to feel something. You felt an affirmative answer to your question.

 

You mentally sighed. (It's ok, Gast. You don't need to hide yourself away because of what you feel. If anything, let me help you with it.)

 

He was still emotionally shrouded, but words came from him.

(... I don't want you to feel what I'm feeling, _____. I don't want you to feel this.) He gave you a small opening to his mind- it was very sad, guilty, angry, and... lonely.

 

(... You're most certainly allowed your privacy, Gast, but I don't want you to feel this horrible by yourself.)

 

He simmered, digesting this information. At least you could feel him a little bit more now.

 

(I'll leave you be, Gast. Just know that I'm here for you, whatever you want to or don't want to talk about.)

 

You could feel him quietly give gratitude, and he settled down, somewhere in between concealing his emotions and being present in your mind. At least he wasn't hiding as much now.

As you returned your attention to the physical reality, you noticed you had finished your burger and Sans and Papyrus were eyeing you, seemingly confused.

 

(End ST)

"whatsamatter, ____? you looked troubled there," Papyrus spoke.

 

Guess you couldn't keep a straight face when talking to Gaster.

"I, uh, had a chat with Gaster. He's...." You didn't know how or if you should continue.

 

Papyrus nodded. "i can imagine all this is a lot to take in... for all of you." He shifted his posture, and put in another lollipop. "so... what were you doing in the lab?"

 

You and Sans then told him about how you saw Gaster's fragment and searched through the lab, only to have him vanish in the end. You also told him that this he really seemed to like testing you by playing games and showing you rather traumatic things, like the death of human children.

 

Wow. When you put in that way, this part of Gaster seemed pretty messed up. But he was still the kind monster you knew, you had a feeling.

 

Papyrus sighed once you had finished your story.

"that's rough. i can't imagine the gaster i knew doing this, but... i don't know your gaster." He swiveled the lollipop to the other side of his jaw. "but you two are welcome to crash at me and my bro's house, if that's cool with you. you look like you could use some rest. tomorrow i can help you look for the soul fragment, if you'd like."

 

You smiled, grateful. "That would be great, thank you." You looked at Sans. "Sound good to you?"

 

He nodded, then yawned. "i am feeling pretty bone tired, now that you mention it."

After laughing at the pun, you checked your phone for the time. Wow, it was later than you thought. The underground didn't really have day or night, you imagined.

 

"let's head home, then." Papyrus stood, looking back towards Muffet.

"put it on my tab, muffz."

 

She gave him a disdainful look and sighed, still drying multiple glasses with her hands.

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs4WiDbSgEc))

In a short while, after you said goodbyes to Alphys and Undyne, you were walking to Papyrus' and Little Sans' house.

It was just like the one from your dream. One empty mailbox, one overflowing. It was very homey and welcoming, even from the outside.

Papyrus opened the door for you and Sans as you stepped inside.

 

"welcome. it's been a while since we have had _some-body_ over, since it's just been me and my bro."

 

Little Sans frowned and huffed in after you two.

"WHY DO YOU INSIST ON MAKING SO MANY PUNS TO OUR GUESTS?"

 

Your Sans chuckled. "come on, it isn't like they're _pun_ ishments."

 

You chimed in as well, grinning madly at the frustrated skeleton. "Yeah, what happened to your funny bone?"

 

Little San's face contorted in rage. Well, you could tell, at least some part of him found this funny.

 

"AUGH, I GIVE UP. I AM OFF TO BED. GOOD NIGHT, ______ AND STRANGE ME." He then bounded up the stairs on the right side of the house, and entered the door at the top.

 

"Good night, Sans!" You called up after him. You then took in the house. It was just as cozy as the outside, with a used red sofa, a box tv, a kitchen, and stairs leading up to bedrooms at the top level.

 

Sans laughed beside you. "it's strange, it feels just like home, except the entire house is backwards."

 

Papyrus smiled. "i hope it is comfortable. we have a blow-up mattress, and one of you can sleep on the couch, if that is ok." He then disappeared in an instant, and before you could look around for him, he reappeared, holding a deflated mattress and blankets and pillows.

 

Soon, you were settled in. You had changed in their bathroom into your pajamas, once again thanking the universe for dimensional boxes on your phone. Sans had let you pick the couch or the mattress, of which you chose the latter. The couch reminded you of the couch that you sat on in Sans' apartment back in your universe- and you figured maybe he would be more comfortable on it, even if it was a red rather than green one.

As you lie on the mattress, blankets wrapped around you comfortably, you reached out to feel Gaster. He was there, softly thinking about something. His emotions seemed to have calmed down since earlier.

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUot7wOSjoU&index=4&list=PLQ9d5T2uaKg_NmIuTIEC9Vkg6kaF_q_Hh))

(Gaster... want to talk?)

 

He startled. (... Yes, that .... sounds .... nice.) You felt a glimmer of happiness come off him.

 

You didn't say anything, hoping that he would begin. He noticed your hesitation.

(... First of all, I apologize for being so silent today. The lab triggered in me memories which I have been trying to suppress for years. With these memories came emotions... unpleasant ones, with which I did not wish to burden you.)

You felt his concern for you deep within his emotions.

(But... I should not have shut you out. I should have been more present. If you would have been in danger, I would have not been present enough to notice in time. )

 

You gathered your thoughts. (I've known you... for ...) You counted. (... about a week now. And I know- I can feel- that you have nothing but my best interests at heart.)

 

You felt him stir emotionally.

 

(You've always been worried about me getting hurt, or the danger I would be in.) You remembered all those times he worried about you, or fretted over you getting hurt because of helping him on this journey.

 

(But... you have to remember, that I want to help you too. You don't need to protect me all the time.

You've been hurting for longer than I can comprehend... and been alone the whole time.)

 

Your empathy was starting to get the better of you, and you could feel tears sting at your eyes.

 

(You shouldn't be alone anymore. Any guilt, any sorrow, any pain you feel...)

 

He was losing control of his emotions as well.

 

(Please... don't hide them from me. Let me help you. I don't care if it hurts.

I don't care what mistakes you made that led to you feeling so guilty.

I just don't want you to hurt alone anymore.)

A tear fell down your cheek as you stared at the dark ceiling.

 

Gaster was ... it was hard to describe. You could feel emotion rolling off of his soul in waves.

 

It was gratitude.

Warmth.

Shock.

Disbelief.

Happiness.

Sorrow.

 

 

(______.... I don't think I can ever...)

 

You waited a while for him to continue.

 

(..... I ... cannot understand how....)

 

.... His thoughts were breaking. It was like you could feel him crying.

 

(.... Thank you so much....)

 

You both lie there, and you felt tears stream down both sides of your face. Some might have been yours. Some might have been his. You didn't think it mattered.

 

You wished you could actually give him a hug. That he could be here, and you could comfort him. He was so sad right now. You were sad too.

 

After what felt like hours, you both felt your emotions calm down. You were both waiting for the other to say something.

 

(Gast-) (______-) You both thought simultaneously.

 

You smiled. (Go ahead.)

 

 

He gathered his thoughts. (..... I ... want to tell you.... how my life ended.)

 

You closed your eyes.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *takes a deep breath*
> 
> Whew... I love writing emotionally angsty stuff.
> 
>  
> 
> An another note-  
> I know SwapPaps smokes in a lot of cases, but honestly, him with a lollipop is much more realistic to me.  
> Also, SwapSans likes pretty much anything sweet. Ketchup most of all, in my mind.


	24. His End

(To understand how I ended, I need to tell you about my work leading up to the event.)

 

([ST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBk6228JekI))

You saw the lab you had explored earlier that day. It was bright, and many monsters were working in it. Blueprints written in Wingdings lined the walls.

It appeared that Gaster was using his memories to show you as well as tell you the story.

 

(I made the core early in our time underground, to allow us to develop technology to better our society. It powered the whole underground using the geothermal energy from lava.)

 

You saw a huge metal machine that smelled of ozone and hot metal seated atop a lake of molten rock. It hummed and hissed.

 

(But even with all the distractions technology gave us, it did not keep us from feeling imprisoned beneath the barrier. We were resentful.)

 

(Monsters of all shapes and sizes had arguments, some snapped at each other. Some feuds erupted, but no monster ever struck another one. Nobody wanted to hurt each other.)

 

(And then... the King and Queen's children died... in a horrible accident.)

 

You saw a pile of dust, and two huge monsters in purple robes shaking and holding each other in a garden full of golden flowers.

 

(You have to understand- one of the children was a human who fell down and befriended the prince. When the human child died, the prince absorbed his soul and was powerful enough to cross the barrier. There, humans saw the prince and struck him again and again. He barely made it back through the barrier before he too died.)

 

You felt Gaster's sadness mix with your own at the tragedy of this story.

 

(Then... the king, in his grief, passed a law. He decreed that any human that fell down was to be killed, and their soul used to break the barrier. Human souls... continue to live on, even after the body has perished.)

 

Oh. Did that mean that...

 

(Yes, monster souls, except for those of powerful monsters, do not survive after death.)

 

You felt grief well up in your own soul. Something about that seemed so unfair...

 

(What you saw in your dreams...)

 

The images of the child with the frying pan, and the kid with the bandanna and single glove, appeared in your mind.

 

(... Was true. In our universe too. Monsters took the lives of six human children.)

 

You saw the six containers holding the souls. You saw Gaster's hands reach and grab one of the containers.

 

(... It would be easy to forget that the souls were not once part of a living human, if you used them as pieces of an experiment.)

 

The hands placed the container inside a compartment of the huge machine you remembered seeing from the lab. You then moved to a computer screen that read, in wingdings, "DETERMINATION DETECTED. EXTRACT?"

The hand pressed the enter button.

 

(I found that human souls possessed something that allowed their souls to stay intact after they died. It was called 'determination'.)

 

The machine whirred to life, and Gaster's hands placed a vial in a slot connected to the machine. The machine roared and roared, and you could see the soul tremble in its container. The vial filled with red, even though the soul was not that color.

 

(I thought that determination was what monsters needed to cross the barrier. That maybe with enough of it, we could emancipate ourselves from the underground.)

 

You watched as the machine stopped, and the hands pulled the container with the soul out. The soul was dim now, and had lost much of it's hue. The vial was now also full of red, which another set of conjured hands grabbed.

 

(At first, I tested it on a flower from the king's garden.)

 

You saw a golden flower get injected with a syringe full of determination.

 

(Nothing happened for a while, and then the flower disappeared. I assumed the determination vaporized it.)

 

Then your vision switched back to the dim soul in the container. It slowly grew brighter until it was back to its original hue.

 

(I was amazed by how the souls were able to return to their previous strengths. I realized I could continue to extract determination, since they could return to their original state.)

 

You saw countless re-extractions on each of the souls, blurring together in your mind. Red vials collected in a container marked "DT".

 

(And then one day, I was curious. I wanted to see for myself what made the human souls so resilient.)

 

You saw through Gaster's eyes as he opened one of the containers. The green soul floated in front of him. His hand reached out and....

 

The moment it made impact, you could feel the human's soul. It beamed kindness.

It was warm, and touching, and no matter what horrors the underground threw at it, it still refused to hurt anyone.

It had had determination extracted out of it numerous times, but it still didn't want to stop existing. You could feel the traces of the pain it endured, both by monsters and by the extraction machine.

Yet the soul felt like a never-ending smile. You could feel it feeling Gaster's own soul.

 

And you felt sins crawling on Gaster's back.

 

You felt his slip into guilt, into darkness, into deep-seated regret, once he realized that all of the souls could still feel what he had done to them. That the souls were aware that they were taken from their bodies, and still were determined to exist without compromising their core principles.

 

(I... never recovered from what I learned that day.)

 

You saw Gaster walk to the edge of the core's center. It's heart was a dark, dark pit, boiling with magical energy and all the heat of the earth's heart.

 

He carried the vials of determination and his work in his arms, and threw it into the pit below. You watched the vials and stacks of notes fall until they were out of your vision.

 

Then Gaster turned away. But as he did, you felt a push...

 

Then a falling feeling.

 

Then the ceiling of the lab stretched farther and farther away.

 

 

 

 

(The truth is... even though I felt myself falling...

 

 

I did nothing to save myself.)

 

 

 

 

You saw the ceiling disappear into the distance, and a feeling of... breaking apart... ran through your whole being. Through your mind, and your soul.

 

(I didn't want to save myself. But somehow, the determination I threw in before I fell mixed with my soul. Every part of me was infused with it. And then my soul shattered and was split across the dimensions.)

 

(At some point, I was no longer falling. I realized that my new world was darkness. One where time had no meaning. I could no longer have physical form, except in a dripping mess within the void I now called home. I do not know how long I was there. But the whole time I thought about my actions and my regrets.)

 

You saw blurry images of the sky and land.

 

(Whenever the barrier broke, I somehow was allowed to see parts of the surface in dreams, but I could never interact with anything or anyone.)

 

Then, you saw a blurry human soul in front of you, in the dark. It was green with tinges of gold.

 

(Then... somehow... I saw you.)

 

Images of you, at work, on the bus, walking down the street...

 

(Somehow you entered the void in your dreams.)

 

You saw yourself through Gaster's eyes, in physical form, in the void. You were scared, confused, and ... somehow, wore a kind expression.

 

(You made it possible to have an attachment to the world.)

 

You saw your life as seen by Gaster- talking to you on the bus, watching you at work, you connecting with him mentally, then absorbing his soul fragment...

 

(Despite not knowing me, or knowing what I did, you decided to help me.)

 

Flashes of Sans' machine, of you sparring with a stick...

 

(Even though I had given up on living even before I fell into the core...)

 

You saw the images fade to darkness. You realized only now that you were asleep.

 

(You didn't give up on me, the sad, miserable being that I am.)

 

In the darkness, you saw Gaster's figure emerge, still not quite solid, but wearing a sad smile, and looking at you.

 

(I still don't understand how or why you care this much about a pathetic monster you just met a week ago...)

 

You started walking towards Gaster, tears streaming down your face.

 

(And I was afraid that once you knew what I did, or saw the other horrific pieces of my soul, that you would regret helping me.) He looked away from you, and covered his face with one of his hands. You walked closer to him.

 

(I've... never... been so afraid... not even when dying. That after all your efforts, your selfless kindness, and nearly irreversibly bonding with my piece of soul, you might loathe me...)

 

He pulled both his hands to cover his face.

 

You were before him now. He towered over two feet above you, but to you, he still seemed small.

 

You reached out your arms and wrapped them around his decaying body.

 

"Gaster.... I do not loathe you." You spoke, pressing your head against his chest, hoping he could feel your voice as much as he heard it.

 

You saw his fingers curl against his face, as if he was trying to contain it.

 

"You made mistakes that you can never undo- but you have suffered for them plenty."

 

His hands loosened their tightness.

 

"I will never loathe you- I could sense the goodness in you before we even bonded. No matter what frightening parts of you there are, I know that you at your core are good. If anything, what you showed me tonight confirmed that."

 

 

He pulled his hands off his face. His eyes were narrowed as if he was holding back tears, and his mouth was contorted in a sad grimace. He saw you hugging him and looking up at him, and immediately crouched to hug you back, gently.

 

His head was pressed against yours, and you could feel his voice resonate as he spoke.

 

(I have no idea what I've done to deserve your kindness, _____.)

 

You smiled. "Just you existing is enough."

 

The two of you hugged each other for a while longer.

 

"But... making me quiche didn't hurt your chances either."

 

He laughed, a deep, warm laugh that you had never truly heard before. You were used to hearing him think, not actually hearing him.

 

You released each other from the hug, but he continued crouching so he was at your eye level. He wore a warm smile, which somehow seemed cute, despite his face being rather large compared to yours.

 

(You know, I've never been this open in front of another soul before. It's... invigorating.)

 

You smiled. "I'm glad you think so. You know, I've never lived so much in such a short amount of time before this week." You sighed. "Guess it's a time for doing exciting new stuff, huh?"

 

He nodded, smiling.

 

"Let's get some rest, then. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow, hunting for the rest of you."

 

He stood up, now looking down at you.

(Alright then. Have a good night.)

 

As you walked away, feeling your consciousness slip into slumber, you heard him call out.

 

(Sweet dreams, _____.)

 

( _Heh. Already filled my quota...)_  You thought to nobody but yourself.

 

The darkness embraced you.

 

For the first night in a while, you had restful sleep.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took so long to just get the words right...   
> writing feelings is hard.
> 
> Until next time, dear readers,
> 
> sweet dreams...


	25. *Authors Note*- My Own Adventure

Hey everyone-

Thank you all for your holiday wishes and positive comments! They really encourage me to keep writing.

I'm going to be going on my own adventure overseas from today until Jan 7th, so I won't be able to update. 

With that, I hope all of you have fantastic breaks and a happy new year!

Cheers!

 

WTEB


	26. That Ominous Feeling

You woke to the sound of a very loud voice.

 

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" It was little Sans, of course.

You blinked open your eyes, and saw from your mattress that Papyrus, Sans, and Little Sans were all sitting around the small table near the kitchen.

 

"i mean that you can't shirk your duty to your patrols, even if you do want to help _____. and besides, sans and i will be able to help her with her search." Papyrus put his hand on his brother's shoulder. Obviously, you realized, he was trying to protect his brother.

 

"BUT... YOU'RE SHIRKING YOUR DUTIES! WHAT IF SHE NEEDS MY HELP TOO?" He looked at Papyrus eagerly.

 

You sat up. "Hey, Sans?"

Both your Sans and Little Sans turned towards you. Well, you meant Little Sans...

 

"If you want to help me, can you do me a favor and make sure no scary-looking humans come through? It would make me feel better about searching, and help us out a whole lot. And you would be the best monster for the job."

 

His eyes got little stars in them. "I WILL GLADLY DO THIS FAVOR FOR YOU, _____! AFTER ALL, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS IS NOT KNOWN TO REFUSE FAVORS."

 

You smiled. "Thank you, Sans. ... Yeaaauughhhh...." You yawned and stretched your arms, and you suddenly felt the hunger in your stomach. You grabbed you phone which was beside your bed, and saw that it was 10 AM.

Wow, that was more than you normally slept. But then again, these weren't normal days.

 

You pulled yourself out of the mattress, which was quite a feat, considering how warm it was. Then you walked over to the table, not caring how messy you looked in this moment. You could feel your hair was shaped in a very unglorious style, with some of it plastered to the side of your face.

On the table was a plate of cinnamon buns shaped like bunnies. They smelled sweet and delicious. Your mouth instantly watered.

 

Papyrus pushed the plate towards you.

"go ahead, kid. we've already eaten. help yourself. it wouldn't be good if somebunny went hungry."

 

While you and Sans laughed a bit, and you grabbed a pastry, Little Sans wore a very disappointed expression.

 

"WELL THEN, I WILL LEAVE YOU THREE TO YOUR SEARCH. I'VE HAD ENOUGH AWFUL JOKES FOR THE DAY." He then snatched another cinnamon bunny and bounded out the front door.

 

"see ya-" The door shut with a bang.

"... bro." Papyrus smiled vaguely at the door.

 

As you chewed on the pastry (which was even better than you imagined, and warm), you commented to Gaster how good it tasted. He agreed with you.

 

Looking to Sans and Payrus, you realized they were waiting for you to say something. Well, this was kind of your whole deal, wasn't it? You did volunteer to host a monster's soul and put him back together.

 

As you swallowed a bite, you said, "So... Gaster hasn't sensed his fragment since it disappeared yesterday, so I don't really know where we should search first." You took another bite, unable to stop yourself from eating. "Mayfbe ... bvack at the lab voulb be a goob plafe to fstarp?"

 

Sans grinned, his eyes lowering sarcastically. "maybe finishing your cinnabunny would be a good place to start too."

 

Papyrus grinned at that and nodded. "agreed. and i can get us there via shortcut. i told alphys to look out for my bro today so i can devote more attention to help you two."

 

You shoved the rest of the pastry down, feeling very pleased, and also full.

"Great! I'll check with Gaster to see if he senses him at all."

 

You closed your eyes, focusing.

 

(Gast? Any sign of him?)

 

You could feel Gaster reach out to search. There felt like something towards the direction of the lab.

(It seems so. It is hard to tell how strong his presence is, however.)

 

(Yeah, I can tell.) You opened your eyes.

"He senses something towards the lab."

 

"great," Sans spoke up. "do you want to get dressed and then we can head out?"

 

You smiled and hopped off the chair. "Yeah, I better, I wouldn't want to get chilled to the bone."

 

Both of them laughed at that. "good one, kid," said Sans.

 

\------

 

After changing into some warm clothes, you emerged from the bathroom. Sans and Papyrus were standing by the door waiting for you.

"you're probably going to want to get out some rain gear- we are headed to waterfall after all," Papyrus reminded you.

 

You pulled up your dim box on your phone and an umbrella appeared. You grabbed it and walked up to them.

 

"Let's roll." You rested the umbrella on your shoulder in a dramatic pose.

 

Papyrus nodded, and turned the handle on the door. It opened to the outside, a snowy field in Snowdin. The other two stepped through and promptly disappeared, and you knew that you weren't actually going outside the house, but through the shortcut. You stepped through, and a blue cave wall greeted you, along with a wave of humidity. Waterfall it was.

 

Turning, you saw Papyrus and Sans walking towards the lab looming in front of you. You also felt Gaster's senses detect a stronger presence. Combined with the dark cave and the eerie lab, it felt very... ominous.

You followed them in through the door. Undyne was was at her computer, typing away frantically. She seemed worried about something.

The three of you walked up, a little hurriedly, which was odd because the other two seemed to somehow walk calmly while doing so.

 

Papyrus spoke up. "what's wrong, 'dyne?"

 

She continued typing away, but glanced towards him for a split second. The three of you looked at the monitors, most of which were filled with complex code, and a few of places in the underground. One of them was blinking red- and upon looking at it closer, you saw a small figure clutching a knife walking in the snow through the forest path.

"Is that a huma-"

 

"shit, i need to go- i'm supposed to be the first to-" Papyrus was speaking quickly and harshly. His face, as you could see from the side, had an orange tinge near the right eye, which was glowing with an orange iris.

 

"I've already al-lerted Alphys... this human has abn-normally high LV..." Undyne stammered while still typing.

 

You looked to Sans. The lights in his eyes were gone, replaced by black void.

"this.... is a genocide run." His voice was cold, dark, and unlike anything you had heard from him before.

 

Papyrus headed towards the door. "i have to keep the human from killing-"

 

Sans blinked out of existence momentarily, and reappeared in front of Papyrus, stopping him.

"i will help you stall the human. i assume this isn't the first time you've had one of these?"

 

Papyrus looked enraged and confused. "what the hell do you mean? there hasn't been a human this strong before."

 

Sans mouth became smaller, into a tight grimace. "then this is your first."

 

He looked towards you, eyes still dark. "_____, stay here, stay safe. i have to keep this human from resetting. i have no idea what will happen if we are here during a reset."

 

"What..." You were so confused. Genocide run? Resetting? What was going on?

 

But before you could finish your question, the two skeletons had blinked out of the room. It was just you and Undyne, who was still clattering away on the keyboard.

 

You didn't say anything, but walked over to her.

 

"I-I'm setting all the traps in the underground to deadly force... we have never had a h-human that was th-this dangerous...."

 

LV... you remembered Gaster telling you about it standing for "level of violence" and that it raised after you killed something. Was this child really a murderer?

 

(Gaster, are you aware of something like this happening in our universe?)

 

He thought, just about as shocked as you. (No, at least in my time. I was trapped in the void from my death until the barrier was broken. All I know is that a human broke the barrier somehow.)

 

(Great... I hope Sans can take care of this...) You were a bit scared, considering how both he and Papyrus reacted.

 

You walked away from Undyne, whose loud clattering was making you even more anxious.

You leaned against a wall- the lab was dark and damp, and the ever-present ominous feeling was even stronger now.

 

From the corner of your eye, you saw movement. A shadow moved along the wall and towards the elevator, which doors opened, and then shut. It was too dark to make out what it was, but it didn't really seem like something Gaster's size.

You started walking towards the door.

 

(_____, are you sure this is wise? It could be dangerous...)

 

You continued walking, closing in on the elevator doors.

(Don't worry, Gast. The human is in Snowdin, and whatever this is could have something to do with your fragment. It was awfully shadowy.)

 

He grudgingly went along with your idea. As you opened the elevator doors, you saw it was empty. So you stepped inside and pressed the button.

 

A few moments later, you entered into the familiar dark, damp corridor. You saw the shadow move down the hall you were in previously. You then summoned a flashlight from your phone, and turned on your glowing eyes, with a surge of emotion and magic. The room was much brighter now, but still frightening. Your heart beat fast in your chest.

You followed the shape down the halls. No matter how much you tried to shine the light on it to see what it was, it was still a shadow. It was actually pretty strange. You realized it was heading towards the room with the determination extraction machine.

 

Once there, you saw the shadow near the table where you saw the potted flower. But... you realized, the flower was gone.

Only a stubby stem was in the dirt. It looked... gnawed off.

 

As you approached the table, you were considerably frightened. The shadow was shaking and jittering near the bottom of the table. As you got closer, you saw it resolve.

 

It was not just a shadow, but a white looking monster... It was quadrupedal, with a head with black fur, about the size of a medium dog, and very, very jittery.

 

"Um, hello?" You called out.

 

 

It froze, its back still turned away.

 

It slowly turned towards you.

 

It had a strange face, with dangling ears and cat ears both. It had an eerie smile like a cat face and pinprick black eyes.

 

"hOI!" It's face began jittering unnaturally, like a computer glitch. Its voice was tinny and high pitched.

 

"... just kidding. I'm no Flowey. In fact, this one was a tasty snack." It licked its lips. "It tasted awfully... **determined** for some reason.

 

"say... you have **determination** too, don't you?

 

 

Its face contorted in a horrifying grin, its eyes turning to huge black holes.

 

Your flashlight flickered and went out.

 

 

It laughed, close to screeching, yet terrifyingly dark. 

 

 

 

" **I could use some of that**."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hOI!
> 
> have another cliffhanger!
> 
> I'm back from my trip! It was really great, thanks for all the wishes of safety! Hopefully, I can post updates often. Also, I don't really feel like continuing the soundtracks... let me know if you seriously liked them or not.
> 
> Also, to clarify, in this universe, all the flowers that Asriel's dust fell on became really derpy monsters for some reason, akin to Temmies. Research was done on them, on one in particular, and it was injected with determination, but then it just seemed to become a regular flower. Nobody has really heard of or seen a Temmie.... 
> 
> But hey, now you have met one. And it consumed the Flowey injected with determination.  
> And it wants more.


	27. "I'm Not Alone"

You immediately took a step back, your heart still from fear.

 

The creature in front of you stepped towards you, its face still in a sick grin.

 

"Don't come any closer....!" you shouted, still backing up into the corridor. You were surprised that your voice didn't crack.

 

(Gaster! Help! What do I do?)

 

....

 

But nobody came.

 

Your own head was silent. You could tell that he was there, but he did not respond. You didn't feel any emotional reaction at all, even.

 

(GASTER!!!!) You internally screamed.

 

Nothing.

 

The being's face narrowed, its expression becoming a twisted smirk.

"Oh? What's wrong? Are you unfamiliar with monsters trying to kill you? How did you even make it this far without someone trying to take your soul?" Its voice was sing-songy.

 

You fumbled for your phone, and searched for box E, your emergency box. At the same time, you tried walking backwards down the corridor while keeping an eye on the monster slowly approaching.

You found what you were looking for, and pressed the screen. A sword suddenly materialized in front of you. It was a gift that your family got you a long time ago, when you were interested in magic and fantasy. It was blunt, of course, not designed for anything but display- but you figured something was better than nothing. You grabbed the hilt, and all of your sparring lessons came back to you in muscle memory.

 

Surprise crossed the monster's horrid face for a brief second, and then it shifted to a look of incredulous humor. It then laughed again, the creepy screeching laugh from earlier.

"That's **ADORABLE** how you think such a weapon will help you against **ME**."

 

You gulped. 

"Listen, you... creepy monster..."

 

It grinned wider.

 

"I'm not gonna give you my soul, and trust me, you really don't want to mess with me. I..."

 

You were what? A human with meager magical training and a blunt sword?

 

(Gaster... where are you?!!!)

 

You hoped he would at least say something- this was incredibly strange, considering how much he got worried about you even when you were completely safe.

 

Suddenly, a blur of white shot from the monster. It grabbed your ankle, and you hacked at it with your sword. The white appendage, which you realized now was one of its legs, moved away from each of your swipes with ease.

 

"You don't stand a chance here, human. Don't you know? In this world..."

 

The leg pulled and you fell backwards onto your back, and were dragged closer to the monster, which promptly leapt on your chest, far too close to your face.

 

" **IT'S KILL OR BE KILLED**."

 

You felt a tug, like your soul was being pulled.

 

Oh no, nononono-

 

You pulled back on your soul with all your strength, and tried to shove the creature off your body. But it wouldn't move. You found that your limbs were pinned, also by the other limbs of the creature. Its legs now supported it so its torso was suspended over your body about three feet, with its frightening, thin limbs holding down each of yours.

 

You felt the tug stronger, and suddenly, you felt a rush of magic.

 

" **GET OFF OF ME**."

 

 

Your vision brightened in the dark room, and you saw wisps of white flow from your vision.

 

You conjured a hand from thin air, and grabbed the white limb pinning down your hand with the sword. You ripped the limb off, the momentum pulling the rest of the creature off of you as well, sending it spiraling off away from you and crashing to the floor several yards away.

 

Your summoned hand grabbed your other hand and pulled you up to stand. You tossed the sword to the conjured hand, and summoned another hand to hold it double-handed.

 

By this time the monster had also regained its stance, although it was teetering slightly. Its face was shrouded in shadow, unable to be seen.

 

"A human... with magic?!" Its voice was enthused.

"So... much... **power**...! **I WANT IT**!" It teetered towards you.

 

Suddenly, a host of floating white paws appeared, encircling you. Your sword slashed at one of them, making it disappear, but another took its place.

 

"You don't stand a chance, human..." You now saw its face.

 

It had a wide smile, with sharp pointed teeth, and bulging black eyes.

 

A few paws hurtled towards you from different directions, and you couldn't dodge them.

 

They hit your body, and stung like punches, but without the impact force. You cried out.

 

"What did you think you would find here? Friends?!"

 

Its face changed to Undyne's, in a happy smile.

 

"Companions?!" It spoke, now using Alphy's toothy grin, and her high pitched voice.

 

"Or.... maybe..." Its voice grew deeper.

 

The face changed, nearly melted...

 

A half lidded, deformed right eye, and a gaping hole of a left eye, with cracks running from their corners, with a sad, yet trusting smile.

 

 

No...

 

 

" _You couldn't be looking for a broken monster like me, could you_?" It spoke in his voice, deep, and sad.

 

You were irate. Your conjured hands holding the sword shook.

 

"You're an _abomination_..." you whispered hoarsely, hoping to sear the flesh off this monster with just your words.

 

Several more paws came flying at you, all striking, one after another. You screamed, knees collapsing beneath you. There wasn't even any blood... just... pain. You no longer had the concentration to keep the hands summoned, and you heard the sword clatter to the floor.

 

"No... not quite." The monster trotted over to you gleefully. "I'm not an abomination- only a monster.

 

"But with your soul... and all your determination..."

 

Its grin now contorted its entire face, covering over 2/3 of it.

 

" **I CAN BECOME A GOD**."

 

You quivered a bit, still surrounded by paws, barely supporting yourself with shaking arms.

 

 

This was it. This would be how you died.

 

 

In an alternate universe, trying to do an impossible quest, killed by the freakiest thing you've ever seen, which would use your soul to become a powerful omnipotent being and probably destroy everyone you ever knew here.

 

 

Well.... at least....

 

 

Before you could finish your thought, the monster cried out. Its body suddenly jolted and flew against a wall with a bang. You realized a larger blur of dark was hovering near the monster, making sure it wasn't getting up soon.

 

The paws floating around you disappeared.

 

The darkness quickly zoomed over to you, and floated in front of you. You reeled back, but it did not come any closer.

 

"... thank you... whatever you are..." you murmured.

 

The darkness seemed to grow and shrink, almost in a sigh. Then, a flash of light make you wince, and when you opened your eyes again, a white, cracked white shard floated in a sea of shadow in front of you.

 

Oh. 

OOooohhhh.

 

It was Gaster's shard who saved you. That made sense.

 

Looking over to the monster that was lying in a heap by the wall, you realized that it was trapped by some sort of cage of darkness. Even if it did gain consciousness, it couldn't do much.

 

The fragment nudged towards you, and you realized that you should absorb it now. With a tug, you pulled your soul out of your body. Your green and gold soul hovered, connected with the tip of Gaster's other fragment. The fragment before you floated closer, and once it was close to being in place, you drew the souls back towards your chest. The new fragment began closing in to the bottom left side of the point, and just as the souls crossed into your chest, you felt the pieces connect and fuse.

 

A rush of energy and magic washed through you. A host of new emotions came with it- inquisitiveness, acceptance, denial, confusion, curiosity... and depth. A vast, innumerable amount of knowledge passed into you through the additional fragment- considerably more than the first fragment. This one held what felt like millennia of information- a heavy weightwhich you did not anticipate. But you felt... through this knowledge... there was not only power, but... sadness.

 

You opened your eyes.

 

(_____... I am sorry to put you through that by yourself.)

 

You felt tears well up.

 

(Gaster? You're back....) You felt relief sink through you. You felt his presence now in your mind stronger than ever- it felt doubled in size, as you probably should have expected. It was coursing with many emotions- anger, slight confusion, passion, curiosity, and protectiveness.

 

(Yes... I will explain more later. But first, we need to deal with this... thing. May I take over from here?)

 

You couldn't hide the obvious relief you felt. (Please... go ahead.) You had a thought.

(Just... maybe don't kill it.)

 

Gaster agreed. (Very well.)

 

You felt his consciousness rise, stronger than you ever felt before. Your eyes once again flared white. Your body began moving. Your arms pushed you up, and you stood, posture straightened perfectly, despite the pain still remaining in your body. Your hand outstretched, and the shadow cage disappeared from around the monster. A conjured hand grabbed it by the scruff, and brought it closer to you, floating in midair.

 

You watched as it became conscious, slowly realizing it was being held in the air. It struggled, trying to claw with stretched limbs at the hand. The hand simply shook the monster, keeping it from gaining enough momentum to do anything.

 

"Let me DOWN you... **thing**!" It screeched at you. For the first time since it woke, it looked at your face. Its eyes grew wide, but this time in surprise. Then, it smiled darkly.

"So, you found it. Greeeaaat."

 

You felt your face frown.

 

"(How do you know of me? And what are you?)" Your voice mixed with a staticky version of Gaster's own deep voice.

 

"Pshh... I'm not telling you, ''Doctor'." It made a mocking voice when it said "doctor". "Just let me go and you and your human host won't have to see me ever again."

 

"(And why should I even do that?)"

 

It smirked. "Because I am needed in this timeline. More than even you know."

 

Gaster though for a moment. Then, the summoned hand disappeared, and the monster fell to the floor.

"(Be gone.)"

 

The monster grinned widely, and once again turned into a blurry shadow, which whizzed down the hallway past you, towards the elevator.

 

When it was gone, you felt Gaster breathe a sigh of relief and give you back control.

(Let's get out of this lab, _____.)

 

(Nothing would be better.)

 

 

\--------

 

 

As you walked back towards the elevator, having put your sword back in your phone, and your flashlight now working, you didn't say anything to Gaster.

He didn't say anything to you either. His emotions were quiet. But you could feel them roiling inside him, much as yours were.

So many questions that you wanted to ask....

Finally, you were brave enough to, once you were on the elevator.

 

(What did you say earlier, about being sorry to put me through that alone?)

 

He thought about how to frame his words- you were familiar with that pause.

(I suppressed the capabilities of the already-fused fragment to see what would happen if you were endangered by yourself.)

 

Huh. Another test. (And what did you find? That I was too weak to defend myself?) You felt bitterness rise inside yourself. It was too true. You would have died if he didn't save you.

 

He sent a stronger wave of his own regret into your own emotions, attempting to cancel your bitterness.

(I found that it was a stupid decision on my part.)

 

You felt your emotions sink like a stone. You were too pathetic to even be considered a contender in that fight, weren't you?

 

(No, no, I did not mean like that.) He reeled in anguish of saying the wrong thing. (I meant...)

 

You waited. You were curious what he did mean, if not that.

 

(The only reason you were alone was because I suppressed the part of me that could help you. And the whole time I was watching you fight the monster, the first fragment convinced the other that this was ridiculous. That I should be helping and not hindering you. That, in any case, I would be with you in the future, if you did get into danger again. And that to leave you alone in a dangerous situation was an idiotic test, if it was unlikely to occur in the future.)

 

You took a few moments to process that.

 

He spoke up again. (To put it simply, it was stupid to let you suffer alone when I could have helped you from the beginning. I had originally wanted to see the results of your training... but after you were...)

You saw mental images of the paws striking you, of the monster pinning you to the ground...

(The tests I did were to no one's benefit but my own curiosity. I had wanted to prepare you, like in the dreams, but-)

 

(It actually was helpful. I mean, exposing me to the darker stuff. I would have probably freaked 100 times more if I saw the souls for the first time here.)

 

Gaster thought about this.

 

(You know, even this... it was a learning lesson. I realized that I could actually die from this. And that I'm not strong enough by just myself.)

 

(Even so, to let it get this far... I wish I didn't-)

 

(What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? I learned a lot from this, even if I was scared half to death, and those paw things hurt.)

 

(...Even so, I'm sorry... and I have no right to ask for your forgiveness in abandoning you.)

 

(You didn't even do that. You saved me, in the end. You were watching the whole time, right?)

 

(... You are correct.)

 

(Well then... we're good. Actually, better than good. Now we have another piece of you together!)

 

(Indeed. It feels good to be... a bit more whole. You probably sensed this, but this fragment is the most analytical part of me, which possesses a lot of my knowledge and curiosity.)

 

(I did notice that. So, other pieces of you will have different aspects of your soul?)

 

(Yes. And it makes sense why the analytical part was so determined to test you. Also why it couldn't understand...) He cut off his thought, silencing himself. He seemed to be holding something back from you.

 

(Understand what?)

 

(.... Nevermind.)

 

You mentally shrugged. Guess he did still have some secrets.

 

As you stood there, you thought absentmindedly.

Wait, there was that human kid with the knife, and Sans and Papyrus...

 

(We should go find them and help them.)

 

(To do that, maybe our first step should be pressing the "up" button.)

 

You looked around. Oh. You had been in an elevator this whole time, going nowhere. Wow, conversations with him sure were distracting.

(Riiiiiggght...) You pressed the button, and the elevator whirred to life.

 

At the top, the doors opened with a _whirp_ , and you stepped out. The wall that greeted you was lined with mirrors, and you finally saw yourself.

The changes that happened the first time you absorbed Gaster's soul were amplified now.

The scars running from your eyes were more pronounced now, and pretty noticeable. Your skin was also even paler. Your eyes were still glowing white in the irises, but not giving off wisps of light still.

You saw your hands. The hole traced in them was now also more noticeable, but also, the hole was slightly transparent. You could see through your own hands.

You looked at yourself in the mirror.

 

This was you now. This was both of you.

 

You smiled, and walked past Undyne still clacking away on the keyboard. She now noticed your presence.

"W-wait, where are you going? Sans s-said to stay here and-"

 

"I'm going to help them."

Oh, shit, your voice got deeper. Not as deep as his, but still deeper than normal, close to the bottom of your range. But it wasn't staticky at all.

 

She turned towards you fully now, mouth gaping.

"You f-found the fragment, didn't you?"

 

You smiled. "Yep. Thank you for helping, Undyne."

 

She smiled and blushed, and turned back to her computer.

"B-be safe out there, ______."

 

You headed towards the door.

 

"I will be. After all...

 

 

"I'm not alone."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, another fragment down! Unknown quantities to go!
> 
> Now, to see how everyone else is faring with the genocidal child...
> 
> What could possibly be going wrong? ;)


	28. Uneven Ground

Once outside the lab, Gaster piped up in your head.

 

(Head this way, the Riverperson should be there... they can take you to Snowdin.) You felt him push in a direction.

 

You followed his guidelines until you arrived at a corridor with the sound of sloshing water, and a hooded figure in a boat was in a stream of water.

 

"Hi there, can you get me to Snowdin as fast as possible?"

 

You hopped in the boat. You now realized that the boat's head had a face... it looked like a cat's.

The Riverperson did not turn to you, but said, "Then we're off..."

 

Suddenly, the boat rose, and began to lurch forward. You braced yourself for balance, but somehow, the strange pace did not jostle you or the Riverperson.

After a few seconds, the Riverperson said, "Tralala... Hmmm... I should have worn a few million more pairs of pants today..."

 

You decided not to comment on that.

 

In a few more moments, the boat stilled, and you felt the air grow colder. It sank back into the water, and you hopped off.

 

"Come again soon... tralala."

 

"Uh, thanks..."

 

You stepped into snow, and you summoned your coat from your phone, meanwhile walking hurriedly forward.

(Gaster.... do you think... that they're alright?)

 

His emotions were serious. (I cannot say. But Sans and Papyrus are powerful monsters- they should be able to hold their own.)

 

You rushed forward. The town of Snowdin greeted you. You remembered from Undyne's monitor that the child was near the beginning of the puzzles outside the town, so you headed that direction.

 

Monsters eyed you warily. You had seen them before, when you went to Muffet's, but they were mostly surprised by your rushing. You were on the brink of sprinting at this point. You were very unused to exercise from your life in the standard human workforce, but... you had endorphins and magic both supporting you now.

 

You raced through the entrance to Snowdin. You flew past puzzles and snow-covered trees, past abandoned sentry stations. Whoever was supposed to occupying them was not there now... Your heart sank.

 

You tried your best not to imagine what was going on. Anything could have happened. The kid could have killed everyone... or no one. Sans could be injured or dead ... because you didn't get there in time, or-

 

(_____, it is alright. Do not worry on might-be's. We need to focus on getting there and-)

 

His thought was interrupted by what you saw in front of you. As you rounded a corner, you saw them.

 

Your Sans was behind a bush, hidden from sight, while Papyrus and Little Sans stood in the middle of the snowy path. In front of them was a long bridge, with many dangerous things suspended on ropes (though from what, you did not see). There was even a small white dog...

You quickly ran behind the bush where Sans was. He noticed you come, and turned to face you, not making a sound in his movement.

 

"kid, you shouldn't be... wait..." He looked at your chest, seeming to look at your soul. "you found the fragment?"

 

You nodded. "Yeah, after finding a particular freaky monster who somehow knew about Gaster... But anyways, I'm here to help." You saw the look on his face. "And don't say it's too dangerous. I'm fine, especially with Gaster's help."

 

His eyes looked pained. "Then we should leave, and head back to the time machine's door."

 

You couldn't believe it. "What? Why?! Shouldn't we help them with this dangerous kid?"

 

Sans looked out into the scene before you. A figure in a green and yellow striped sweater stepped onto the bridge. It moved slowly, but consistently towards the end of the bridge, closer to Sans and Papyrus. Even from where you were, you could feel that something was off... You got a chill, despite no wind blowing and your warm coat.

 

"_____... you have to understand... this human... nobody can stop it. it's... complicated. but we can do nothing. and we should do nothing. we shouldn't interfere in this timeline, anyways."

 

Your heartbeat thumped loud in your ears. "You mean, you saw this human in our underground?"

 

Sans turned to you, eyes dark and worried. "yes. and it killed everyone. even m-" He cut off, turning to look at the scene. His voice was low and pained. "we need to get out of here before it senses us."

 

"But-"

 

He turned back to you, his left eye a blue iris, his right a dark void. "please, trust me. we need to keep moving, if you want to ever get home again, or put gaster back together."

 

Your throat tightened. You didn't like this- like any of this. If this kid killed everyone in the underground, then they would kill everyone here... and you would leave them to their fate. But if you stayed, you would almost certainly be killed... and Gaster would never ...

You shut your eyes. You had to go.

 

"....Let's go, then." Your voice was dry, and cracked.

 

Sans sighed, and put his hand on your shoulder. You blinked, and suddenly it was incredibly hot, and everything was tinted orange. Back in Hotland.

The two of you stood from your crouching, and you saw the grey door in front of you.

 

You thought to Gaster, (I hope we did the right thing.)

 

He seemed to feel your own guilt and pain.

(If what Sans said was true, then there was nothing we could do... but if Sans experienced it, than it could mean that this universe will experience similar happenings as our own universe. Perhaps this means that the monsters will break the barrier and break free, just as they did in ours.)

 

You hadn't thought of that. You communicated feelings of thanks and hope to Gaster.

Sans looked down both corridors of the hall, checking for safety. Then he walked to the door, and put his boney hand on the handle. You walked to the door as well.

 

"let's go home, ____. we could use a break."

 

You nodded sadly.

 

He cracked open the door, and a wave of comfortable air washed through. Like the first time the door opened, you couldn't exactly see what was on the other side.

"ladies first." He gestured through.

 

You tried to smile, but all you could give was a small expression closer to a grimace.

 

You stepped through, feeling the cooler air wash over you. Your vision was unresolved as you felt your body stretch across the dimensional barrier, but as it resolved again, you noticed the air got colder. Colder than you anticipated.

 

 

Wait...

 

You felt your foot hit ground. It crunched harshly. As your eyes opened, in a split second you realized this was not the room with the machine in your universe.

 

You saw a whole lot of white-white and bits of brown and green.

 

In this split-second, you felt Gaster become uneasy as well.

 

Your other foot struck ground as well, but this time the ground gave way in a splintering noise. You felt yourself lurch forward, falling.

 

Your hands went out to catch you, and they made impact with icy shards. You cried out, feeling the searing pain of ice cutting your skin.

But whatever you fell on wasn't flat. It was slanted, and while your hands slipped further down the slope, your body moved faster, the momentum causing your body to flip over your head.

In a moment, your back connected with the ground, your hands still over your head, unable to brace the impact.

 

 

You felt all of the air leave your lungs as you gasped from the impact, the pain the only thing you could think of.

You lie there, dazed, unable to think or speak or move. Your eyes were opened to a dull, grey sky.

 

You suddenly heard a shout, a deep voice.

"______!"

 

Sans' face appeared instantly in your vision, eyes wide with worry, scanning your entire body.

 

"don't move, stay still. we can find..." He looked around.

 

"this is wrong. we're in the underground again."

 

You moved your eyes around. There were tops of snow-covered trees. Not much else.

 

"we were supposed to be back in our universe, in the room, but... this..."

 

You heard a splitting, staticky, roaring sound. You never heard anything like it before.

 

"what the..."

 

The sound grew louder, and you heard footfalls in the snow.

You tried moving your arms. They were still lying beside your head, upwards, and they hurt, and you felt warm blood oozing from your hands... but you managed to bring them to your sides. You tried to push yourself up, but it hurt too much. You groaned in pain.

 

(Don't move, _____. Let your body adjust first. Sans is here.)

You frowned.

 

You heard Sans speak up. "who the hell are-"

 

"gue _ss. i **fuc**_ king d **a** **re you**."

The voice sounded staticky and off, like a broken computer voice. It also had the same deepness and tone as Sans', you noted.

 

You heard swishing sounds like cutting air, and a snap. Sans shouted in pain.

 

At this point, you tried pushing yourself up again. You managed to push yourself onto your side, towards the sound. Everything hurt, but you could see what was happening now.

 

You were on some side of an embankment, and at the top stood a dark figure, flickering with red, yellow and blue. From its outstretched hands were blue threads that connected to Sans, who was standing in front of you, apparently shielding you.

 

"Wh-ha-haa..." you whimpered quietly.

 

Sans' body stiffened, and raised in the air, still connected to the blue strings. No sound escaped him.

 

" _you l o_ok a **_li_** ** _ttle far_** from _ho me_, **fo** lks." The voice shouted down at the two of you. It was creepy how much like Sans it sounded.

 

You felt Gaster's soul rise within you, and you let him move to the forefront of your consciousnesses.

Your hand raised, and a holed hand appeared, and started to glow. It released a crackling beam of magic, cutting through the blue strands.

Sans immediately fell to the ground, but landed well. He stood back up.

 

"what the hell do you want with us, you creep?" He sounded confused and irate.

 

You saw the figure disappear.

 

Suddenly, blue strings whizzed from behind you and reattached to Sans. You heard another series of whizzing sounds, and you felt a horrid pain strike your entire being. You felt your body stiffen, and you realized you couldn't even move yourself anymore, except for your face. The hand Gaster summoned disappeared.

Sans once again rose, but turned to face behind you. The strings seemed to go through his jacket and clothing, connecting to his... you saw a white upside down heard under his clothing, blue strings wrapped tightly around it.

 

" _i_ _need you_ to co _m_ _e wi **th**_ **me**. i ha _ve a **li t**tle_ j _o b for you_." The voice seemed to be talking to Sans, who's face contorted in rage, his left eye flaring blue. He seemed unable to speak.

 

" _an **d** you...._"

 

You felt your body raise, pulled like a marionette. You spun to see the dark figure.

 

It looked like Sans, but reverse, and far worse. His bones were black, and his eyes red, with blue running down his cheeks in strands. From his hands were two sets of blue strings, connected to you and Sans. He eyed you with what appeared to be glee.

 

" **what a ~~delightful~~** _**lit** tle glitc_h you are. i'd li **ke t** **o mak** e you a puppet, but... you're bett _er off he re, i think. the_ **monsters her _e wi_** _ll have a d_ elightful ti _me w_ _ith a **prob**_ **lem lik** e _you_."

 

You heard the roaring, static, splitting noise from before, and behind him you saw a crack appear out of nothing. It opened vertically, like a maw, and the edges of it shimmered and glitched just like the being before you. It was a mix of distorted, pixelated colors. He stepped back, and you saw Sans float closer to him, and then through the opening, the blue strings still connected. You didn't even have a chance to react, except to have an expression of shock.

 

The dark figure in front of you winked. It released the strings connected to you, the threads going loose and drooping.

 

" _see ya arou nd_, **pal**." The monster leapt backwards through the opening, and it shut with a snap, like a mouth closing.

 

You stared at the space in front of you.

 

......

 

 

 

(.... ______?) Gaster was concerned for you.

 

You still didn't know what just happened. Your body still hurt.

 

(...... I don't know what to do, Gast. Is he... gone?)

 

(.... I cannot feel his soul anymore. But I can feel another soul approaching.)

 

(In that case, we should probably...) You pushed yourself off the ground. The ache was still there, but you hardly felt it now. The pain from those strings hurt far worse. You saw the blood from your hands all over the ice and snow around where you were. You still continued to push yourself up, scrabbling up the steep embankment.

 

You looked around. The grey door was embedded in a stone cliff wall, close to the edge of the embankment, where the path was narrow enough that you fell off. On either sides was a snowy path, one more wooded, and one heading towards more cliffs. Even the ground of the path was broken and treacherous looking.

 

(This is a strange universe.... I don't remember anything in the Underground looking so rough.)

 

(Weren't we supposed to arrive in our own universe? Why did we end up here?)

 

(I have no idea... It should have worked...)

 

You felt the blood on your hands chill as a breeze swept by. You balled your hands into fists, feeling the frozen and congealing blood crack. You shoved your hands in your pockets.

 

"...Fuck...." You let the word escape your mouth.

 

What just happened? Did Sans get taken? By another Sans? To another dimension? And were you now alone in a strange universe?

 

(Remember, you have me here too...) Gaster seemed to sense your thoughts.

 

(But you're trapped inside my incompetent body, which is now injured...) You walked to the door and leaned against it. (Is it even worth it to try going through the door again?)

 

(It might be safer to go home and heal before coming back here, but I have no idea where Sans is or even if we can trace him...)

 

You felt tears sting at your eyes.

 

 

Nope, no. You weren't letting this happen. No crying. Too much bad shit already.

 

You turned, and grabbed the door handle. You tried turning it. The blood from your hand smeared, but the cold handle did not turn. You pulled your second hand out, and tried again, with all of your strength, but the handle would not turn. Your blood just smeared again and dripped from the handle as you felt the cuts open once again.

 

"... _Fuck no_..." You banged your hands against the door, in fists.

 

"Wh-hy?!" You dry-sobbed. Your voice was cracking.

 

(I can't explain this... but _____, the soul is-)

 

"what have we here?"

 

 

That voice....

 

 

 

You turned to see a short skeleton, in a red coat, with a smile of sharp teeth. One gold tooth gleamed at you.

 

 

" _S-Sans_?"

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah...
> 
> That was quite a rough landing.
> 
> Didn't think going back to reality would be that simple, did you?
> 
> Onwards to Underfell!  
> Sans Sans!  
> But somehow with a Sans?  
> Stay tuned for more!


	29. Nothing This Sweet

He lost his smile.

He pulled a hand out from his pocket, and you felt your soul tinged with blue magic. You couldn't move from your spot, only struggle, which you did, until you realized it was useless.

 

"perhaps you didn't hear me, pal, but i asked _what the fuck are ya_? and how do you know my name?"

 

You sobbed for a second. "I... don't.... know you, but... please... help me...."

 

You felt a tug, and suddenly you zoomed towards him. You realized now that he wore an expression of anger.

 

"what makes you think i'd help a pathetic thing like you? one that hasn't even explained what they're doing here or what they even are?"

 

He held you closer to him, about a foot away from his face. You could feel the heat radiating from him, and the smells of cigarettes and mustard...?

 

"your soul..." he eyed your chest, and then back to your eyes. "it's a hybrid, huh? part human, part monster?"

 

You nodded, tears streaming down your face.

 

He sneered. "gross."

 

The magic holding you faded, and you collapsed to the ground. He crouched to look you in the eye, with the same sneer, and a smile of sharp teeth.

"lemme tell you something, pal. you don't belong here."

 

"You're telling me! I'm not supposed to be here! I didn't even mean to... and now he's...." You sobbed again.

 

"who is 'he'?"

 

"Sans..."

 

He eyed you with a look of irritation.

 

"N... not you. The Sans from my universe...."

 

His eyes widened in surprise.

 

"Just... please... help me, and I'll explain. If not for my sake, then for his." You were starting to get a hold of your crying.

 

This strange Sans scoffed. "you'll have to do better than that. i don't really care 'bout savin' a different version of myself. in fact, i still am convinced killing you might be my best bet. that human soul can fetch a hefty price here."

 

You felt a flare of magic.... Gaster rose from your mind.

"(Don't you **DARE**.)" His voice was deeper and clearer, but still staticky.

 

Your eyes flared white, and a force of energy from your arm knocked Sans back several feet.

 

You watched, still kneeling on the ground, as Sans quickly scrambled to stand up. A crack stretched from the side of his mouth to his nasal cavity. He eyed you in fear.

 

"g-gaster?..." His voice shook. You didn't realize he would be so afraid.

 

By now, Gaster had calmed down, and you once again were in control of your body.

"Yes, he's here." You stood up, grimacing as the pain. You walked over to him, and pulled out your phone. He stood there, dumfounded, as you scrolled through your dim boxes.

 

You tapped the screen, and two granola bars appeared. You grabbed them and handed one to him.

"Here- sorry for hurting you. Gaster can be pretty reactionary at times... these have monster magic infused in them, so they should heal you."

 

You sent a mental feeling of guilt to Gaster- who shook it off with a "i did what was necessary to keep him from killing you" feeling.

 

He just stared at you. You could have sworn he was trembling slightly. It was like he was a totally different monster now.

 

"Really, they aren't poison." You opened one and took a bite in proof. You held out the other one, shaking it slightly in an offer.

 

He very, very slowly reached out and took the granola bar. He still looked scared of you.

"you're fused.... with... gaster?" He unwrapped the granola bar, eyes not leaving you.

 

You crunched on the granola bar. You could feel the ache in your body change diminish.

 

"Yeah. Although, the Gaster from my universe. He's probably different than the one you knew."

 

Sans took a bite of the granola bar, hesitantly. You watched his sharp teeth break off a piece, and then chew it slowly. His eyes now looked to the bar, in confusion and disbelief.

"we don't have food like this in the underground... especially nothing this sweet."

 

You smiled. "I'm not from the underground- in my universe, humans live with monsters on the surface. they broke the barrier a few months ago."

 

His face did not changed from confusion as he chewed.

"in that case..." He swallowed, and pointed the granola bar at you.

 

 

"we should have a chat."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, but a chapter all the same.
> 
> Was a very short step away from titling this chapter "I'm Sorry for Gaster Beating You Up, Have a Granola Bar as an Apology".


	30. Where No Good Exisits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo readers!
> 
> Check out my new work, Small Flames, Large Hearts! It features a tiny Grillby!
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/9340121/chapters/21163244
> 
> Now there's even MORE plot-driven slow burns for you to read! XD  
> (Although, this one will likely be a lil more fluffy than Piece by Piece... at least, earlier on than this one.)
> 
> And thanks to all, for the many kudos and kind comments! Your words and tiny hearts give me determination!

In a short while, this Sans, or Red Sans, as you mentally decided to call him, had teleported you to the inside of what appeared to be a small shed. It was almost as cold as the outside, but slightly warmer, especially with the breeze gone.

For some reason, there was a pile of blankets and a pillow in the corner of the shed, as well as several messy notebooks.

 

"sorry for the mess... i don't often have company."

 

You looked around. Was this his room?

"Do you not live in a house in Snowdin?" You ventured that all these universes were somewhat similar, but maybe this one was different?

 

"i do... it's just..." He sighed, and seemed to shake a bit in the exhale. "boss sometimes insists that i leave the house if i can't get something done right."

 

Boss.... he couldn't mean...

"Do you call Papyrus 'Boss'?"

 

He looked at you with a strange expression, a mix of surprise, sadness, and longing.

"yeah. you know 'im? or... some version of 'im?"

 

"Yeah.... he's pretty great."

 

Sans looked down, and nodded subtly. He then took a seat on one side of the blankets, and motioned for you to join him.

 

"so.... you said you came from another timeline?"

 

 

\--------

 

 

After a while, you had explained to him the journey thus far- absorbing Gaster's soul, the time travel machine, the other universe, not arriving home but here, your Sans' abduction- however, with Gaster's advice, you did not mention the scary kid from the swapped universe. You didn't want to assume he'd know about them.

 

Red Sans listened to this all with narrowed eye sockets, like he couldn't believe it. You had a feeling the only reason he didn't attack you before was because he seemed scared of Gaster.

Once you were done, he leaned back against the wall, eye sockets dark.

 

"shit... that's a lot of info to process."

 

You gave a distressed laugh. "You're telling me..."

 

He looked at you from the corner of his eye, the white pinpricks regarding you with curiosity.

"you even have gaster's scars..."

 

You nodded. "My voice is a lot deeper than it used to be too. Also paler. But... y'know." You shrugged. "I think it's worth it."

 

"you just decided to help 'im, just out of the blue?"

 

"Out of the black, really," you grimly joked, "he came to me in super dark dreams."

 

Red smiled a bit at that, but didn't laugh. "but you just decided out of the goodness in your heart to help 'im, without knowing most of 'im?"

 

You nodded. "He's a good guy. I can feel it. You too, even, seem-"

 

"seem 'good'?" He turned his head towards you, his smile gone. "you'd better get your 'feelings' checked then, kid. no good exists in this hellhole. 'specially not in me."

 

You crooked your face in disbelief. Nowhere could be all bad. You thought. Well, probably.

 

"so, do you sense part of gaster here then? might as well make your time here useful, even if its by accident."

 

You closed your eyes.

(Gast? Anything?)

 

(.... let me... oh...)

 

You felt what he felt, a presence of a shard, but ... it certainly was dark. It simmered and stewed, somewhere further down the underground, towards the direction of the lab. It felt just like everything in this universe- rough, rude, and cruel. It also seemed to sense you both reaching out to it, and it shut itself off with a snap. You no longer sensed it.

 

(Oh... )

 

(.... well. at least there is one here, right?)

 

(....) Gaster was silent. He thought about something, but about what you could not tell.

 

You opened your eyes, and saw Red watching you carefully.

 

"Thankfully, there is a piece of him here. It's pretty far away though, and we're not sure where exactly."

 

"great." He stood up, suddenly.

He walked towards the door.

 

"Where are you going?" you asked.

 

"gotta be home on time, or else boss will.... well. i should be going. i'll bring you food. take the time for now to rest and heal. you're gonna need it, down here." He neared the door and turned around. "i'm locking the door, for your safety. trust me, you'll be better off."

 

Before you could respond, the door shut and a latch clicked.

 

(Well.... guess we're here. At least he didn't kill us.)

 

(And he seemed concerned for your safety, which is good.)

 

You sigh, and stretch out on the barely padded array of blankets.

 

Did Red really sleep here when his Papyrus kicked him out of the house? Was a Papyrus even capable of being that cruel?

 

You had these thoughts as your drifted to sleep.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm... you haven't had a normal sleep in a while, have you?
> 
> It would...  
> be a...  
> shame.....  
> if someone...  
> visited you in your sleep, wouldn't it?
> 
> ;)
> 
> Sweet dreams....


	31. Black Tears

It was dark...

 

The darkness that you remembered was gone, and this darkness was...

 

...furious.

 

It writhed and twisted and screamed past you, and you could do nothing. You tried to send it feelings of calm, and spoke things like, "What's wrong?" and "Are you ok?"

 

You felt something hear you.

It, too, was furious.

 

The darkness suddenly rushed from all around you, coalescing to a single point before you.

 

It was just so.... angry.

 

You watched as the darkness somehow got even darker, and a form stretched to create a tall, jagged frame. Atop the frame was a white face, with hideous cracks running all along it, a jagged mouth in an open frown, and what appeared to be... black drool, running from the maw.

 

It had white hands as well, with holes in the palms, but the fingers were long and clawed, with black tips, and curled in what appeared to be pain. Or maybe just anger, you couldn't tell.

 

Even for how frightening it was, you recognized him, as he stared in fury at you.

 

"Gaster?"

 

His eyes widened, and narrowed, burning into you. He was the fragment from this timeline.

 

"You...! You shouldn't be here..." His voice was scathing.

 

He walked away from you, his back turned. You noticed this Gaster also seemed to have some form of legs- more of stumps, actually, that alternated as he walked away. They still didn't have feet, but trailed a black mass of darkness wherever they sent.

 

"Oh, but I should. This is my dream, after all. And I found another piece of you." You walked around him to block his escape. You had to move pretty quickly, given his huge strides.

 

He sneered. "You won't leave then, will you?"

 

You crossed your arms in defiance. "Nope. You're stuck with me."

 

His face became emotionless. He bent so that it was inches away from yours. You flinched slightly.

 

"Then I will make you leave."

 

Suddenly, he disappeared.

 

You looked around in the dark, but couldn't see him or anything else.

 

Your hair stood on end. But you didn't know why.

 

You blinked, and when you opened your eyes again, there was fire, fire everywhere. And you were outside. You heard clashing sounds, and shouts.

 

You looked around. Suddenly, a human leaped out, and swung a sword at you. They were dressed in plate armor.

 

"aaAAAAA!" You barely got out of the road in time. But they swung again.

 

For some reason, this seemed familiar to you.

 

You ducked, narrowly dodging. "Stop it, I don't want to fight you!" You screamed.

 

The soldier didn't even flinch, as they brought down the sword again.

 

You knew this time you were not in a position to dodge.

 

But you fell yourself fall....

 

The ground gave way beneath you, and you fell further, and hit the ground with a thump. You pushed yourself up, and looked around, and you were in a grey room. Nothing else was there.

 

You tried to call out, but your voice wouldn't work. You grabbed at your throat. It was suddenly incredibly cold, almost infinitely so. You were numbed, and then in pain.

 

Why did this... feel .... similar to something you had experienced?

 

You looked around, for any sort of relief. But there was nothing.

 

You ran to the wall and banged on it. Then the wall moved closer.

 

You stepped back. You saw the other walls move as well. They began closing in, in harsh jumps.

 

The ceiling too, it came down, and the floor came up. You were jostled as all of the sides jumped closer, and closer.

 

You once again tried to call out, but your voice did not make a sound.

 

And it was so cold... getting colder.

 

You saw the walls grow closer, and your heart beat faster and faster.

 

They pressed against you on all sides. You began breathing in short and shallow gasps of air, but even the air was cold enough to sting.

 

This was it... This was how you'd di-

The floor gave out.

 

 

You fell again, and landed again, but this time, on your feet, somehow bracing yourself with your knees. You opened your eyes to see an array of white. It was a blizzard. Somehow, it was warmer than the room you just left, but you still shivered. You saw a large figure in the distance, square. You headed towards it.

 

As you approached, you saw a neon sign that said "Grillby's" and figures moving inside windows. You hurried faster.

 

You opened the door, and a wave of warmth washed over you. You came inside, and some looked to the door, but none looked at you. They all went back to their discussions.

 

"H-hello, do any of you..."

 

Nobody batted an eye.

 

You walked up to the head of the bar, a monster who appeared to made entirely of flame, with clothes that somehow didn't burn.

 

"Hi, can you help me? I need to find a monster-"

 

He didn't look at you. In fact, he walked down the bar and into the back room.

 

Could nobody see you?

 

You turned hurriedly. "Hello?!" You shouted.

 

Nobody moved.

 

You walked up to a large bird monster in a stool and waved and said, "Can you hear me?" But they did nothing.

 

"Hey!" You shouted at everyone.

 

Nothing.

 

"Why can't anyone HEAR ME?"

 

No movement.

 

"Please, someone, ANYONE, _**HELP ME**_!" You shouted with all your strength into the quiet bar. You shouted with all of your soul.

 

Suddenly, they all turned towards you, with wide eyes. They were frozen.

 

"G-good, can any of you see me? Because I-"

 

Their faces began melting.

 

 

"....N-n-n..."

 

Not this again, you thought in panic, as if this had happened before.

Like it had happened hundreds of times.

 

Their faces melted, rolling onto their bodies, which then also melted. The walls began melting.

 

Your heart froze, and you started shaking.

 

The melting figures slowly rose from their chairs, and began making the most horrid noises you had ever heard. They were mixes of voices and dripping sounds, and distorted radio chatter.

 

They all circled in on you. The melting piles now formed orifices of their own, black holes which opened and closed in slick sounds, some like eyes, some like mouths, some for no reason.

 

"I didn't m-mean...." You couldn't move as they closed in around you. The colors of them melted into sickly brown and grey heaps as they continued melting down to the ground. Where the walls were melting, you saw nothing but darkness behind them. They quickly fell down into heaps of their own, and dissipated into nothingness.

 

"Please... s-st-stop... melting...." You whimpered at them.

 

But they continued. You watched, just as they closed in on you, as they sank to the floor in large puddles all around you, forming a kind of dark grey ooze of opening and closing black holes. The sounds sounded like they were shrieking now.

 

You could do nothing but watch as they oozed too into black nothingness, the shrieks softly fading away.

 

Some part of you knew this would happen, but it still terrified you.

 

And suddenly you were alone in the darkness.

 

You looked around, and suddenly, you saw yourself.

You were looking at your reflection.

 

No, not this again...

You looked another way, but saw yourself.

 

No...

 

You spun around, but everywhere you looked was another image of you. Like a 360 degree room of mirrors.

 

You looked up. You saw yourself looking down.

 

You looked down. You looked up at yourself.

 

You closed your eyes, and covered your face with your hands.

 

"N-no...." Tears rolled down your face.

 

"What's wrong? It's just you." Hundreds of copies of your voice joined together to form a collective voice. It was terrifying.

 

You kept your hands on your face, digging your nails into the flesh to feel something.

 

"I... didn't mean for this...."

 

"HAHAHAhaha, of course you did. We together decided to do this, right?"

 

Tears fell from your face and hit nothing below. You didn't dare open your eyes.

 

"I didn't want her to..../I didn't want him to...." You spoke, your voice splintering into two voices of your own.

 

"What are you **AFRAID** of? I'm only **YOU**. **YOU** know exactly what you are, don't you?"

 

You felt one of your eyes flicker, as if to open.

 

"No, _don't_!" One part of you said.

 

You shut your eye tight again.

 

"Oh, but **DO**! See who you are! See what you've **DONE**. What you've **BECOME**...."

 

You felt the eye flutter again, even under the press of the hands. Where your eyes were the holes of the palms covered, you knew.

 

"No, don't! Please, ______./Please, Gaster, I have to...."

 

You were feeling the two parts of you tear apart, but also cling together in desperation.

 

 

Your eye opened.

 

 

You saw what you had become.

 

 

Your wide white eye flashed back at you through the hole in your palm. The other eye was shut, and was forced shut, as if in a permanent look of pain. A black divide stretched from your open eye to your chin, and then through your neck, splintering further. Another divide gashed from the shut eye to the top of your head. Your skin was so pale- it was nearly white. Your hair was just as pale- so white it seemed brighter than white.

 

You saw your mouth- a jagged black grimace, incredibly sharp teeth bared. From it dripped black, running in slow rivulets down your neck and chest, dripping onto the floor. Your nose was gone, replaced with a triangular hole. Your hands holding your face were also black, dripping in the same darkness.

 

The rest of your body was a hunched black mess of darkness. You could not make out your legs, nor your torso. You pooled onto the dark floor, your body seeping outward into the distance.

 

"NO..../No...."

"I NEVER MEANT FOR THIS TO HAPPEN!/I.... d-didn't..."

 

Your reflection pulled its hands away from its face, and grinned madly. It rushed to you, and its face engulfed your entire field of vision.

 

"Oh, but you **WANTED THIS**. You so desperately wanted someone to share in your misery, and you so wanted to help this **MISTAKE**." Black liquid pooled from its sharp teeth as it spoke in hundreds of your voices.

 

You felt tears roll from both of your eyes. Black began pouring from your reflection's eyes as well.

 

"You should **LEAVE** and **GO HOME. GIVE UP**."

 

You ground your teeth, the sharp edges sliding against each other.

 

" **ABANDON** any thoughts of saving yourself. You have done **NOTHING** to deserve saving!"

 

Black further poured from your horrid reflection's eyes. " **NOTHING!** "

 

You realized, the extra tears were not yours. You did not feel them on your face.

 

" **LEAVE THIS PLACE AND NEVER RETURN**!" You screamed at you. The black now covered the majority of your reflection's lower face.

 

" _ **NOOO** **!**_ " You screamed back at it, in union.

 

 

" **NOOOOOOO** OOOOOOOOOooooooooo-!" you screamed. Your voice grew quieter, and the vision disappeared.

 

You opened your eyes, and a soft click got your attention. It was dark, but you saw a door open and a rush of cold wash in. A short red figure carrying something locked the door shut. It held a lantern.

 

As it walked over to you, you were still panting and felt tears running down your face.

 

"holy shit, kid.... what's up with the black tears?" His face was pained.

 

You reached up and rubbed at the wet feeling, and brought it down. Your hand was smeared in black ooze.

 

You stared at your hand. You then proceeded to sob.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edit****

50,000 words! Achievement Unlocked!

Have an art of mine!

  
[A Reflection- from Ch. 31 Black Tears](http://words-to-escape-by.deviantart.com/art/A-Reflection-from-Ch-31-Black-Tears-657910133) by [words-to-escape-by](http://words-to-escape-by.deviantart.com/) on [DeviantArt](http://www.deviantart.com)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why, yes, I do enjoy writing traumatizing dreams. Thank you for asking.
> 
> Comment and kudo if you enjoyed! They are fuel for my creative fire.


	32. A Combination of Crazy People

Red Sans kneeled beside you, placing down the lantern.

"snap out of it, kid. crying does you no good."

 

Your eyes were wrenched shut, afraid to look at him, afraid to see how much you were crying.

 

(....._______.... I'm so sorry....) Gaster felt horrible right alongside with you.

 

Your crying slowed. You didn't need him to feel sad along with you....

 

(No.... Gast.... He was right. We did choose this.)

 

He felt worse, the guilt washing over you like a sea. (I... never wanted you to-)

 

(I chose this. I wanted to help you- to bring you back.) Your tears stopped. (And I have to accept the consequences.) You tried to feel brave.

 

(.....) He was quiet, but still felt bad.

 

You thought about your dream. That part of Gaster... was just so angry, and he clearly wanted to be alone. The visions, the melting, the reflection... In the beginning he said he would make you leave....

 

(Perhaps he did everything as a scare tactic.) Gaster thought, connecting your own thoughts.

 

(You know, that would seem right... He did succeed in making me leave. And freaking me.... us... out.)

 

You let this sink in.

But why did this Gaster so desperately not want to come together?

 

(Well... this part of me, if I am to guess... would be my anger, just as the last piece was my inquisitiveness.)

 

(Anger.... you do seem to not get angry often... at least, in the time I've known you.)

 

Gaster flustered a bit at that.

 

(It would make some sick sense that your anger got stuck in a universe where everything seems just as cruel.)

 

Gaster agreed with you.

 

"you, uh, ok there?"

 

Oh. You forgot Red Sans was even there.

 

You opened your eyes, and saw his face in the dim light. It was now night, you noticed. He held a bag of something. It smelled greasy and like char. Your mouth watered.

 

"Yeah, I'm here. Just talking to Gaster about the dream we just had...." You reached up to wipe your face, still wet from the black tears. "I'm good now. Is that food?" You eyed the bag.

 

He smirked, his gold tooth gleaming in the light. "hungry, are ya?" He tossed the bag in front of you, on the blankets.

 

"Thank you, Sans..." You saw him flinch at your words, and you took the bag gently, and opened it. Inside was a burger and fries. You made a face, the equivalent of the flat mouth emoji.

 

Were you only going to eat burgers and fries in all of these universes?

 

You pulled out the food, and noticed that the burger was cooked a bit more done than you liked it, with char on the sides. The fries too seemed a bit dark, but hey, you weren't complaining about gift food. You took a bite of the burger. Although it was bitter from the char, it was still good.

 

As you sat there chewing, you looked at Sans.

 

He sat there, looking at you. His mouth was in a small shape, in a kind of emotionless expression to match his eye sockets, which were in a kind of nervous angle upwards. You thought you saw a few beads of sweat on his brow.

 

You stared at each other for a few moments, before he looked away, into the darkness of the room.

 

"Do I... scare you?" You asked with hesitation.

 

He looked back at you, his eyes peaked even further in anxiousness.

 

"what?! _hell_ no... you're just..." He looked down, and rubbed the back of his scull with his boney hands.

 

"Just what?"

 

He looked back up at you. "you barely seem anything like him, except for the looks."

 

You reached for the bag to get a fry, and you saw him flinch and his eye flicker blue as he jerked back.

 

You leaned back. "You _are_ afraid of me."

 

His eyes narrowed, but the beads of sweat remained.

"you're a creepy freak. part pathetic human, part horribly powerful monster." His voice was sharp, and defensive.

 

You stopped chewing, and gulped. "Freak, huh? ...." Your heart sank. Your gaze lowered.

 

(_____, don't let him make you feel anything. Do not let him have any power over your emotions.)

 

You breathed, comforted by Gaster's words.

 

Red Sans eyed you, still with a look of what you thought was fear. You met his gaze, but he looked to the side. He said nothing.

 

You decided to speak.

 

"I'm not a freak... I'm just... a combination of some ... pretty crazy people." You felt determination rise in your chest. Sans was looking at you now.

"Sure, the human part might be pathetic... but I'm pretty sure I'm his only hope."

 

You felt Gaster simmer in sadness. Sans' expression looked more sad now too.

 

"But... it's ok. We've made it this far, and I can feel that we are becoming stronger. I can feel myself becoming stronger, just from meeting so many people and learning so many hard things."

 

You looked at the lantern.

 

"I don't really know if we can find all his pieces, or even find Sans again. But I have this feeling- this feeling that we will. And we will get home safely."

 

You could feel it- your soul was warm. It felt... determined.

 

You looked back at Sans. He did not look as afraid now, but more.... sympathetic? It was difficult to imagine a guy this rough-looking having much sympathy.

 

".... you sure are a fuckin' determined one, kid. good choice, gaster, if you're in there..." He looked over you as he said the last bit.

 

Gaster felt happy at the acknowledgement, but also glad at your words. He too felt determined from them. Your chest was warm.

 

(Even if it wasn't my choice, I'm glad... to be with you, of all humans.)

 

You smiled, and chewed a fry.

(Same. We make a good team, after all, remember?)

 

He laughed in your head. (Yes, we do.)

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, sorry!
> 
> I swear, things will happen soon.
> 
> But hey, in case you didn't notice, I added a bonus to the last chapter, Black Tears. A 50,000 word perk, if you will.  
> Sometimes, I like to art.
> 
> Scroll to the bottom to see it! I even made a Dev Art account to show it... so much work just to get the link to work... X0


	33. Desperate Messages

After that, Red Sans left you to get more sleep. It was darker outside now, you noticed, but not as dark as night you would know. You were underground, after all.

You were a bit afraid to fall back asleep, but after talking to Gaster and Red Sans, you felt better. This Gaster fragment, if it was anger, would probably be there again, and try to get you to leave. But you needed sleep... you still felt tired.

 

You lie in the dark gloom. You pulled out your phone, hoping for anything. But there wasn't anything on the screen. You didn't know what you were expecting.

 

In a moment, you had an idea. A stupid idea, but an idea nonetheless.

 

You opened your messages and tapped "send new" to "Sans the Skeleton".

 

(.... I don't know if it has the power to reach.... wherever he was taken to...) Gaster said sadly.

 

You typed...

 

_Hey, bonehead._

_Wherever you are, let me know, so we can come get you._

_I'm safe for now, and healing, but... I want to know you're ok._

_Text me back._

 

You sent, and turned off the phone's screen.

 

(I know, Gast. But I can try. It's better than nothing.)

 

(... I hope it does work, somehow.)

 

You pulled some blankets over you, and closed your eyes.

(Me too... me too...)

 

 

 

You didn't notice, but your screen lit up.

It said,

_Message Delivered. International Roaming Surcharge Applied._

 

 

\------------

 

 

 

* _Bzzzzt_ *

 

 

Error turned away from his collection of glitchy images towards Sans, who was strung like a puppet in the white anti-void of Error's home. The blue strings held him suspended from the ceiling, arms outstretched.

 

* _Bzzzzt_ *

 

Sans' eyes opened at the noise too, and he looked down with his eyes at his left hoodie pocket. He could not move, only look. Error grinned.

 

* _Bzzzzt_ *

 

"what's th **is? mes** **sa** _ges? why, a_ ren't _ **you po**_ pular?" Error raised a hand and a blue strung stretched from it into the pocket, and a phone floated to his hand.

 

* _Bzzzzt_ *

 

A notification appeared on the phone. Four unread messages, from ______.

 

Error's eyebrows raised. Who was this?

 

He opened the phone, and read the messages.

 

Hmm. It seemed like the human-monster hybrid that he had left in Underfell. How did they even send the message this far?! He was in the anti-void, for fuck's sake...

 

"somethin' wrong?" Sans spoke. He had that stupid grin on his face.

 

"it seems yo _ur little hum_ **anish frie**nd is worried ab **out yo** u, _cla ssic_." Error walked closer to him, with his own maniacal grin.

 

Sans scowled. "you better not hurt them, you creep.... or else you're gonna have a-"

 

" **b a d t i m e** ?" Error grinned at him, who was surprised by his interruption. "please, classic _, i know all you_ r lines **. but i don** 't really **feel lik _e erasi_** _ng them_ j ust yet. in _fact, let's s **end th**_ **em a lit** tle message of our own."

 

Sans' eyebrows creased.

 

Error held the phone out in front of the two of them. He turned the camera on, and switched the camera to selfie mode.

 

"smile, big guy." Error grinned and constricted his hands, and the strings holding Sans' soul tightened. Error saw Sans' face contort in pain, and pressed the button.

 

He released his grip slightly on the soul, and looked at the phone to admire his work.

 

Error was at the forefront, grinning madly, and Sans was suspended in the air in the background with blue strings, face in a grimace, eyes narrowed in pain.

 

Error smiled at the picture.

 

He typed...

_don't worry, he's safe here with me. ;)_

He attached the picture, and sent the message back.

 

Sans sighed behind him. He spun to face him.

 

"d _on't lo_ ok so ~~blue~~ , cl **assic**. yo u'll shortly **be on yo** **u** r own _little m **issi**_ **on soon**."

 

"which you still haven't explained." He did not look amused.

 

Error laughed. " **all will be ex** plain _ed in good ti_ me. i am simply _wait_ ing for the ri **ght moment to us**e you." He turned back towards his floating glitchy images. They were of the different timelines. Countless moving pictures overlapping each other, moving around, bumping into others.

 

" _in the mean time, let's enj_ oy t **he shows**. wh at's your favorite channel? i got **ta ad _mit, you_** _r friend is pre_ tty boring, sleeping all the **time**."

 

Error knew that there was no way Sans could make out the images, but still enjoyed tormenting him with snippets of the hybrid's life.

 

"can you at least tell me if they're safe?"

 

Error huffed. "they _are, fo r n_ow. bu **t damn if they didn** 't land in an uns _afe uni_ _verse_."

 

Error watched the screens of Underfell, the dark figures moving hurriedly, yelling and fighting, red and white and black everywhere.

 

"b _ **ut that's all i'm go** nna tell you 'bout_ them for now." Error walked back to Sans. He looked relieved at the news that the hybrid was safe. He hated that look of relief.

 

" _now, i'm gonna t e **ll y**_ **ou why i nee** d you.

 

 

"yo _u ever hear of t_ he d **emon chil** d _cal_ led ' ** ~~chara~~**?'"

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perspective change, right there.
> 
> What is this plan that Error has?  
> Will you ever find out?
> 
> Will you ever find Sans?
> 
> Stay tuned to find out!


	34. Fight or Flight

You woke to the sounds of shouting.

 

Your body jerked up, and you pulled the covers off. It was uncomfortably cold in this shed, but you didn't particularly care in this moment- those shouts.... were close.

 

You quickly stood up, and scrambled to pick up your phone. You walked closer to the door.

 

"-THAT LAZY PIECE OF GARBAGE, WHERE IS HE?! I SWEAR IF HE'S HIDING IN THAT SHED AGAIN I'LL-"

 

You hear the voice get closer and closer until it is right outside the door. You immediately hurry to the wall behind the door's hinge, hoping to not be seen.

The door's handle is jostled. It seemed locked, however.

 

"HE THINKS HE CAN KEEP ME OUT? MYEH-HEH, NOT A CHANCE." For a brief moment the voice sounds slightly... familiar.

 

With a loud bang the door is broken from its hinges and lock falls forward and onto the ground with a slam. You press your body against the wall tighter.

 

"SAAAANS! WHO TOLD YOU YOU COULD LOCK THIS DOOR?!"

 

A figure stepped in the room. It was incredibly tall, maybe 7 and a half feet. It had sharp black shoulders, black tight pants on impossibly thin legs, red boots, a red torn scarf, and bone white features. You could not see its face, since it was facing the other direction.

 

Upon not seeing Sans in front of itself, the figure turned, first away from you, and then...

 

Your heart stilled.

 

He... looked like Papyrus.

 

He looked right at you, in the eyes. He had scars that ran along his left eye, that looked like battle scars, and sharp jagged teeth. His eyes were black voids with red pinpricks. His expression as he saw you was briefly surprised, but then irate.

 

He grabbed you by the shoulder, his gloved, sharp hands digging through your coat painfully.

 

"SOOOO... SANS HAS BEEN KEEPING A PET, HAS HE? AND HE'S BEEN KEEPING IT HIDDEN FROM ME?!" You flinched as his voice harshened. His fingers dug in deeper.

 

"You're... Papyrus, right?" You go to push his hand away, but you stop your arm halfway there... it might not be best to anger him.

 

His eyes flare in irritation. "HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME?! DID HE TELL YOU THAT?! NOBODY CALLS ME BY THAT NAME..."

 

"No... but..." You flinch as his hand tightens. "Could you let go of my shoulder? That kinda hurts..."

 

His eyes narrow. "HURTS?! WHAT, _THIS?!_ " He tightens his grip further. You grit your teeth. He seems to take pleasure in this, as he smiles evilly.

 

You glare at him. He was not a very nice Papyrus, for sure. " _Yes, that hurts_." You try your best to stare daggers.

 

"OOH HOO HOO, THE PET'S GOT SPIRIT! I BET SANS LIKES THAT WHEN YOU TWO MATE." He grins even more evilly.

 

"Wha... what?" Mate? What the hell did he think... oh. A pet... for that. You felt embarrassment heat your cheeks.

 

"SURELY, THAT'S WHY HE KEEPS YOU. I CAN'T IMAGINE A MONSTER AS PATHETIC AS YOU WOULD BE OF ANY OTHER-"

 

"I'm _not_ his pet! And I don't 'mate' with him. I just _met_ him, for fuck's sake....!" You felt yourself getting agitated. He still didn't let go of your shoulder, still digging in. You could feel the bruises forming.

 

"THEN WHY ARE YOU IN OUR FUCKING SHED?!" He yelled at you, and you once again gritted your teeth in pain.

 

"Get **OFF** me!" You summoned a hand that appeared between the two of you, and shoved him in the chest. The hand was much bigger than one of yours, and had much more force.

 

He stumbled backwards, and you made a quick dodge for the door.

 

It was colder outside, and the wind blew, cutting your face and blowing icy snow all around.

 

You knew that you had to move, or else he would catch up... You decided to head left. If your memory was correct, that was the direction to where Gaster sensed his other piece.

 

"HEY YOU, GET BACK HERE!" His sharp voice rang out behind you, and you broke into a sprint. You were glad you slept in your entire outfit last night, or else you wouldn't have been prepared enough to run like this through the snow.

 

You ran as fast as you could, but you doubted if you could outrun him... he was so much taller (and probably faster) than you...

 

(Gaster, any tips?) You thought in panic.

 

(There is a way you could go faster, but it would take a lot of magic and energy...)

 

(Just do it- we don't have much time before he-)

 

Suddenly bones grew up out of the snow before you, tripping you. You threw out your hands and fell into the snow, which had a layer of ice somewhere underneath it that once again scratched your hands. The cuts from yesterday had healed from the monster food, but once again they were bleeding.

 

As you lie there in the snow on your stomach, you heard the heavy footfalls run closer to you.

 

"JUST WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING? WE HAVE SO MUCH TO DISCUSS." You felt your soul get tugged.

 

You struggled to your feet, holding tightly to your soul as you felt him pull on it.

 

He had an angry grin on his face. "YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME." He pulled harder, and your soul appeared in front of your chest, with Gaster's shard floating beneath it.

 

Papyrus' eyes grew wide. "A HUMAN SOUL?!"

 

(______, look up.)

 

You did, and saw two floating hands with holes in the palms. One began to glow, and a beam of energy shot towards Papyrus, hitting the snow in front of him.

 

"A HUMAN WITH MAGIC?!" He looked surprised, but not afraid at all. You saw bones glow to life next to him.

 

(I'm going to carry you.)

 

The hands above you sank down. One spread its fingers wide and shot energy at the bones, destroying them as the flew towards you. The other spread its huge fingers and pressed against your back.

 

(Uh... Gaster... how...)

 

(Trust me.)

 

You suddenly felt another hand at the back of your knees, and with a quick push it swept up your knees and suddenly you were suspended, being held bridal style with a hand on your back and one at your knees.

 

You felt a rush of air as you flew upwards and away from Papyrus. The third hand floated with you, shooting energy at the bones as they flew towards you. You heard shouts of the monster below as you rocketed away.

 

As you watched the ground beneath you move faster, you felt panic rise to your mind. You felt the hands spread their fingers further, supporting you more.

 

(You can put your soul back now, you're safe.) He radiated feelings of security.

 

You now realized your soul was still hovering over your chest, and pulled it back inside.

 

(Gast, you can do magic without controlling my body?)

 

(It appears so. The additional strength of the second shard seems to make it possible.)

 

(That's great! We have a much better chance of surviving in that case. You saved us from Papyrus, too...) You grew a bit sad, thinking about him. Why was everything so mean in this universe?

 

(It is a shame that everything is cruel here. We will have to be on guard everywhere we go.)

 

(Yeah....)

 

The ground below you was a sliver of white amidst two banks of tall pine trees. It was actually beautiful, seeing everything from a different perspective... one where you didn't have to fear for your life constantly. You sighed, and your muscles relaxed slightly. You felt the hands shift to adjust, still steady and supporting.

 

(Thanks for carrying me, Gaster. I didn't even think about something like this as an escape.)

 

(You're welcome, ______. I'm just glad we could escape.)

 

You felt the air whooshing past you change a little bit. It felt less cold, slightly.

 

(We are approaching Waterfall.)

 

You realized you were lowering towards the ground, and slowly you saw a cave-like structure appear. There was a small opening, like a doorway, to the cave.

 

The hands gently set you down in the snow, and a wave of exhaustion hit you as they disappeared.

 

(I did warn that it would consume energy.)

 

(Yeah... it was worth it though.) You looked at the mouth of the cave. It was dark, but felt warmer. You hesitantly stepped inside.

 

 

It was very grey, you noticed. You remembered from the other universe how blue waterfall was, but this one was harsh and dull, and a bit darker. This universe just generally seemed more unpleasant in every regard. You felt Gaster agree with your thoughts.

 

You hurried in, and saw a monster standing by a red flower. It was frowning at you, and seemed to stare daggers. At least it didn't immediately attack you- it seemed like they only wanted to kill you if they knew you were human, which lucky for you, you were beginning to look a bit different.

 

A few feet away from the flower was a stand of sorts, with snow dusting the roof somehow. It reminded you of the place Papyrus from the last universe would sit... so, it was likely Sans' station. It did smell vaguely of mustard in here, you noticed.

 

You wondered what Red Sans would do if he knew you were gone. What Papyrus would do to him. If he cared at all what happened to you. Probably not.

 

It was only then that you noticed the yellow monster walking towards you, almost hurrying.

 

"Yo, creep, what you doin' here? You look lost." He had no arms, and a black and red striped sweater, with a dinosaur looking ridge of spikes that went from head to tail. He also looked beat up and bandaged from fights, with possible remnants of a black eye.

 

Was this monster offering you help?

 

"Yeah, actually, I was looking for a friend of mine, who lives past the lab. I don't travel much, so I haven't been through here recently..." You were honestly looking for someone, so it came out more truthful sounding than you expected.

 

He eyed you. "You sure are a strange-lookin monster. Tell ya what, if i help ya, will you keep your mouth shut 'bout me in Hotland?"

 

"About what?" You were confused what he meant.

 

He scoffed. "Can't keep up rep with the rest if I go around helping lost freaks find their cousins or whatever. So be hush about it. 'Specially if you see Undyne."

 

Oh, right. Undyne from this universe would be absolutely terrifying.

 

You nodded. "I'll be sure to say you actually helped me get lost, and how rude you were to me."

 

The apparent kid grinned. "Now you've got me." He gestured with his head. "Follow me."

 

You did just that, watching as the other monster continued to stare daggers at you as you made your way out of that chamber.

 

At least one monster was being kind to you down here.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *wheezes*
> 
> Looks like....
> 
> You got a little....
> 
> Carried away there...
> 
> *cough*.
> 
> Anyways, comment and kudo if you liked.
> 
> And thank you all for reading and all the support! Really wanted to do something special for the 200 kudo, 3000 hit mark, but I actually feel a bit like garbage today and assignments are eating me alive, so maybe later this week...


	35. Out of the Frying Pan...

You followed the yellow monster through the series of caves.

 

Water dripped from sharp stalactites on the ceiling, often hitting your head or coat. You were still thawing out from the harsh, cold winds that blew through you in Snowdin. You didn't see any other monsters around... you were grateful for that.

 

"What's your cousin's name?" The kid monster in front of you asked. He didn't turn around, but just spoke into the cave.

 

"Uh..." Crap. What would be a good name...

"Grassler. His name's Grassler." You hated the name, but at least it sounded vaguely like one. You could feel that Gaster wasn't fond of it either.

 

The kid scoffed. "Lame name." The two of you climbed over a craggy boulder that was in the cave. You noticed sharp lodged in it, like someone stabbed it.

 

"Oh yeah? What's yours?" You were wondering what it was anyways.

 

"Th'call me TFK, short for 'that fuckin' kid'. Yours?"

 

You thought about it, and decided it was ok for him to know. It wasn't like it meant anything down here.

 

"I'm ______."

 

He briefly turned back to look at you with a skeptical look, which somehow looked comical, with his young face full of bruises and scratches.

 

"Lamer name yet." He turned back, and you both walked through a small opening to another cave.

 

Inside the cave was a glowing pool of water, and a series of rough islands, connected by some rather beat-up bridges. Red flowers dotted many of the islands. The network stretched quite far, for hundreds of feet. It was actually beautiful, with the red flowers reflecting in the glowing water.

 

You make a hum of surprise and awe.

 

TFK says nothing as he guides you over the broken bridges. You do your best not to fall into the water, and step on the whole pieces of board that make up some of the bridges. As you approach the flowers, you notice that they seem to be saying things...

Things like...

 

_"Hey punk, don't you have a thing you want to have happen? Like a dream or some shit?"_

 

You thought, just like the rest of this world, that the flowers made everything seem rough. The voices that came from them sounded angry. But you listened to them. The conversation snippets even seemed like part of a dialogue.

 

_"Yeah, I do, you got a problem with that?"_

 

_"Aw, no, I wanna know. Even if it is some weak bullshit."_

 

*punching sound* _" **You're** some weak bullshit, right here. But do you wanna hear it or not?"_

 

_"Just say it already!"_

 

_"Fine. I want to look at the real fuckin' sky one day. I want to look out from the top of this fuckin' mountain and see the edge of the world and know that I can go there on my own legs. That there is more to it than this hellhole."_

 

You hear laughter, and another punching sound, followed by an end to the laughter.

 

These flowers must be recording devices, you thought. Gaster nodded at this mentally.

 

_"You said you wanted to hear it, so there it is."_

 

_"Even if it is some lame-ass shit, I gotta say, that sounds like something I want to do too."_

 

Huh... even though the monsters down here were cruel, you could tell that they definitely wanted to get to the surface. You wondered if they would be accepted as easily as the monsters were in your world... you imagined not. Even though the monsters were kind in your universe, people still found ways to hate them and be prejudiced.

 

TFK led you through many more chambers of Waterfall. You saw several signs on the walls, but only read snippets of them, as you were more concerned with reaching Gaster's other soul fragment as fast as possible. You loathed to think how you were going to convince him to join you, but... you had to. You couldn't stay in this universe. It was too dangerous, and you needed to find Sans...

 

Which reminded you...

You pulled out your phone, and you almost dropped it when you saw you had a message.

 

(Holy...) You spoke to Gaster, as you fumbled to unlock it.

 

You opened up the messages. One from Sans.

 

_don't worry, he's safe with me here. ;)_

Attached was a picture of the creepy black anti-Sans grinning widely and Sans grimacing in pain in the background. You felt fury rise to your chest.

 

(That creep... we need to find him and get Sans back.)

 

(Agreed. I have a feeling we will probably see him again, though.)

 

(Yeah, I hope so.) You simmered angrily, continuing to follow TFK through the corridors.

 

You vaguely felt it begin to get warmer, as well.

 

"Are we getting closer to Hotland?"

 

TFK turned his head towards you. "Yeah. Almost there."

 

"Great. Thank you for helping me and-"

 

"HEY KID, WHAT THE FUCK YOU DOIN' HERE AGAIN?!"

 

Oh no.... that voice...

 

You turned around and saw a towering figure approach, in slashed black armor, with a heart emblazoned on a chest plate, with a red x through it. It held a giant blue spear, and although the light was dim, you saw light gleaming from slit-like pupils.

 

You heard a scuffling, and TK ran past you, and past the towering figure.

 

The figure laughed darkly. "That Fuckin' Kid. Don't know how to stay home...."

 

It walked forward, its eyes flashing at you. You recognized it as Undyne. A darker, rougher, taller, and bigger version of her. She pointed her spear at you.

 

"This isn't a tourist destination for freaks, punk. You best get out of here too." She advanced, staring down at you with gleeful anger, her spear still pointed at your face.

 

You backed up instinctively, nodding. "I'll just be going then..." You kept backing up away from her, feeling dread rise in your stomach. She still advanced towards you.

 

"Going _where?_ "

 

You kept backing up. You felt your magic begin to tingle... Gaster was getting worried.

 

"I'm visiting a cousin, who lives past the lab...."

 

She pushed closer to you still, seeming to enjoy your obvious fear.

 

"Aw, how nice.... say, I was heading to the lab myself." She grinned wider, her teeth covering most of her face. "Want to come with? You look like you could use a little.... muscle." She prodded at you with the spear.

 

You could feel your face twist in confusion. Wasn't she going to kill you or something? Was she really offering help too?

 

"Uh.... sure. That would be... great..." You hesitantly stood up a bit straighter, instead of cowering like you were.

 

She pursed her lips. They looked blood stained, and scarred.

 

"Fan- _fucking_ -tastic. Let's be on our way then." She smiled down at you. She then marched on in front of you. You hesitantly followed.

 

(It feels... strange that she helped us so kindly.) Gaster seemed to be echoing your feelings as well.

 

(Yeah, considering she is supposed to be a militaristic monster in even our universe... she should have probably killed me by now...)

 

(Perhaps these monsters are truly good somewhere in their souls. TFK did help us after all.)

 

(True... and Papyrus and Sans only wanted to kill us after they knew I was human...)

 

Gaster and you thought about these things as Undyne led you through Hotland. You took off your coat at the beginning, and joined her going through all the traps, which were similar to the traps from the other universe, just with more fire and knives and death.

 

After what seemed like hours of following her in silence (you were too scared to ask anything), you arrived in front of the lab. It had spikes sticking out from it, like some sort of punk architecture.

 

"Well, we have arrived," Undyne finally said, and turned to you. "Why don't you come in for a bit? Have some snacks or some shit like that. Doc would probably love to meet you." She bared a sharp grin at you and gestured at the lab door.

 

You asked Gaster for any sense of where the fragment was. You felt it, a bit shielded, but it wasn't in the lab. It was past it, and above. Maybe close to the Capitol, Gaster told you.

"I can't, but thanks. My cousin is expecting me, and I am already late..." You smiled gently at her.

 

 

Immediately, her expression darkened. Her smile grew crazed.

 

 

"Well, ______, that's a shame... Your cousin will just have to wait."

 

Your mind froze. "I never told you my name..."

 

She stepped within inches of you, and cast a shadow on your whole being.

"No, you didn't, did you?!"

She immediately summoned a spear in her hand and dug her other hand into your shoulder, her pointed gloves digging into flesh, now barely protected by your light clothing.

 

Not giving you a chance to respond, she tugged you towards the door, half lifting and half dragging you like a doll. Pain seared through your shoulder.

 

(We should have known...) Gaster raged with magic.

 

Your own hand reached up and grabbed her glove, and a bolt of energy shot from yours into hers. She shouted, and you fell to the ground, no longer being dragged.

 

You felt your body move on its own, and Gaster's consciousness rose to the top. You sent him feelings of acceptance and encouragement but could not hide your own fear.

 

Your vision grew brighter, and you saw white light flicker from your eyes. Your body rose to its feet, and like you remember, your posture was better than ever, hands clasped behind your back patiently. Undyne glared at you, and summoned another spear in her other hand.

 

"Fucking hybrid _freak_.... Doc warned you might fight back."

 

(Doc... maybe Alphys....)

 

Gaster agreed. (If she has access to cameras of the whole underground, then she might have seen our souls.)

 

Undyne threw a spear, which Gaster dodged.

 

(If it is Alphys, then we may be able to work this to our advantage,) Gaster thought to you. (She likely worked with their Gaster, and like Sans, may be afraid of him.)

 

(Ah, good idea. Let's show them who you are then, huh?)

 

You could feel your face grin, and eye glow brighter.

 

("Let's.")

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did another art, to celebrate so many of you doing awesome things, like kudos, and bookmarks, and hits! Keep 'em coming! It's from last chapter.  
> [Getting Carried Away](http://words-to-escape-by.deviantart.com/art/Getting-Carried-Away-660054814) by [words-to-escape-by](http://words-to-escape-by.deviantart.com/) on [DeviantArt](http://www.deviantart.com)
> 
> Sorry for the long gap... been trying to regrasp my real life. It's a struggle. But I love writing for you guys and all, so I can't just stop....
> 
> Thank you all for your support!!


	36. ... And Into the Core

You could feel the magic of Gaster coursing through your body. You could feel the desire of intimidation rise in you.

 

"(So, Undyne, you think you are a match against us?)" Your voice was like mostly like Gaster's, with only a slight tinge of static noise.

 

She smirked, and threw two more spears, Gaster dodging them easily.

 

"That's fuckin' RIGHT! And I promised Doc I'd bring you in for her. We need a few more souls to break the barrier, but with YOUR freakish soul, we could discover ways to break it ourselves!"

 

(Ah, so they want us for experiments... so that is why she led us here.)

 

You hardly had time to finish your thought before Undyne rushed at you, yelling with a ferocious cry, a devilish grin across her face.

 

Keeping hands behind his back, Gaster summoned one in front of him. It floated there, until Undyne was about 10 feet away, when it then rushed and pushed her aside, her momentum causing her to veer and crash into the ground to your right.

 

She quickly rebounded, and leapt to her feet, and her hand wiped away the blood and dirt on her face. She resummoned the spears she had dropped.

 

"(Just who do you think we are, Undyne? Alphys, if you're watching?)"

 

"Enough TALKING, more DYING! NGGGGAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

She charged you again, and this time, Gaster just leapt aside, slamming his summoned hand into her back. She once again fell to the ground, skidding on her chest plate.

 

Gaster turned his attention to the lab, and saw a camera watching from the eaves. He smiled, and summoned another hand, this one charging a bolt of energy, directed at the door of the lab.

 

He turned attention back to Undyne, who was once again on her feet, and, quite honestly, very pissed looking.

 

You saw a barrage of spears surround her in the air, all floating, and all pointed at you.

 

She didn't say anything as she threw all of them at you at once, an array of about 20 spears hurtling towards you.

 

Several hands were summoned, and appeared around you in a circle. You could feel the magic charge on them as they shot energy at the spears, each spear disintegrating as the energy made contact. However, one hand grabbed a spear, stopping it a few feet from your face. Gaster did not even flinch.

 

You could hardly believe how calm he was throughout this all. Your own emotions were a storm of fear and panic and passion and determination, but he simply focused.

 

He brought the spear closer, examining it, from all angles, turning it in many of his hands, as if studying it. Then he looked at Undyne with a frustrated expression, as you felt on your own face. You also could feel the hand that he had pointed at the lab door still charging- it was incredibly powerful feeling now.

 

"(Dear Undyne, how could you think to defeat one of your own teachers? Surely, you didn't forget training with me all those years ago?)" His voice was calm and wise. He suddenly threw back the spear, which she grabbed from midair.

 

The look on her face suddenly changed from purely fury to mixed with confusion. She held her head with her other hand, as if in pain. Her unpatched eye narrowed.

 

Gaster turned back towards the lab, looking right into the camera.

 

"(And Doctor Alphys.... you would try to perform experiments on your predecessor?!)" You could feel Gaster faking this intimidation. He was not angry, only focused on saving the two of you.

 

The voice was loud enough to carry to any sensors the cameras had, you thought. Your eyes narrowed as you felt the energy in the lab-pointed hand peak.

 

"(Did you ever think to wonder _who_ you would be capturing?!)"

 

The pent-up energy in the hand released, a blinding bolt of light feet across in diameter striking the door of the lab. With a searing, crashing sound, you saw the door cave in, as well as the wall around it, peeling inwards like a punctured tin can. You could not hide your obvious feeling of awe.

 

Gaster walked towards the opening, casting a glance back at Undyne, who was now on her knees, holding her head, as if remembering something incredibly painful. She was also screaming lightly.

 

(Gaster, what did you do to her?)

 

(The core erased my being from most memories until monsters emerged from the underground. She is likely crashing against this memory barrier.)

 

You didn't know how to respond to that... You walked with Gaster into the dark lab.

 

Alongside the wall was an array of monitors, and a small figure hunched in the darkness near them. You saw it turn to look at you, light reflecting from circular glasses.

 

"(Alphys, you should know better...)" Gaster mustered all his fake feelings of disappointment into speaking.

 

As you neared her, you could see her shaking slightly in the dim backlight from the screens.

 

"D-doctor .... G-g-gas...."

 

"(I am he. And I now have a human soul in my possession. You would be wise to not challenge me, young Doctor.)"

 

You could feel Gaster send apology for saying such things like he was "in possession" of you, but you brushed it off, thinking it was a great lie.

 

Alphys could not say anything. She just shook in her chair. But you could tell that she was also dressed more horrifically- more like a mad scientist, with black leather gloves, and clouded circular glasses. Her spikes even seemed harsher.

 

"(Since you have hindered my progress, I will be taking a few things as compensation. Bring me sustenance.)"

 

Upon hearing this, Alphys scuttled away, leaving her chair spinning.

 

(This is working out surprisingly well. Everyone in this universe must be terrified of your alternate version...)

 

(Indeed.) Gaster agreed. (I am glad I used to spar with Undyne, otherwise, that battle could have turned out far worse.)

 

(I didn't know you trained her. That's pretty incredible, considering how great a fighter she turned out to be.)

 

(She had training from the King and Gerson, both also formidable warriors during the Great War.)

 

Gaster turned to examine the rest of the lab. Like the other lab, the back wall was coated in mirrors, and you saw yourself.

 

You had on your tank top you had changed into in Hotland, but still your pants and boots. Your hands were clasped together behind your back, your posture straight. Blood dripped from your hands, the cuts from falling re-opened, and also from your shoulder, where Undyne's hands dug in. You could also make out bruises on the opposite shoulder where Papyrus held you.

 

Looking at the rest of you, however, reminded you that you had changed. You were taller now, your hair and skin slightly paler. Your eyes glowed white, and the dark scars that stretched from both eyes were clear as day. Two hands floated at your sides, outstretched and ready to move.

 

Your first thought- I've never looked so _badass_.

 

Your second though- I've never looked so **terrifying**.

 

You immediately frowned at your second thought.

 

(No, Gaster, I didn't mean... I am just not used to being so....)

 

(I understand.) He felt guilty, and sad in making you look this way. Your body turned away from looking at yourself, towards the dark.

 

(No, please, honestly, I... we... look _really_ freaking cool. You know we do. But I've never been able to defend myself like you can, so... really. It's actually amazing. The stuff we can do.) You sent him feelings of honesty.

 

He felt worse and better simultaneously. (The things I have done with these powers... and the things I will do with them... I hope are very different. I don't want to scare anyone. I don't want to hurt anyone anymore...) You felt tears well in your eyes.

 

Damnit, you were a sympathetic crier.

 

(Gast, you are a good person. Once we put you back together again, you will do amazing things. You will help the world, I know it. Don't linger on what you've done.) Your thoughts brushed on your own memories... things you wished you had never done, never said, people who you had let down, errors you had made...

(I know that feeling too, of regret. You can't let it rule you. Or you'll never move forward.)

 

He took some time to process this.

 

In the mean time, Alphys hurried back, with several cartons and bags of food. She placed the pile on the table.

 

"I-I brought chips, water, and instant n-noodles... I don't have much else..."

 

You felt your mouth salivate. You were suddenly very hungry.

 

"(That will do. Also, I would appriciate if you could disarm the traps along the core as I progress.)" Gaster pulled out your phone, and began putting them away, into the dim boxes. He left out a bottle of water and chips. Once he had done that, he released the summoned hands.

 

"I will m-make sure they are disa-armed...." She shook as she stood in front of you. You actually felt pretty guilty for making her feel so terrified.

 

But your face smiled. Gaster held the chips and water, and turned and began walking towards the door at the other end of the lab.

 

"(Oh, and Alphys?)" You called out.

 

"Y-yes?"

 

You neared the door, and it opened with a whirp. You turned to look at her.

 

"(You cannot let regret rule you. Or you will never move forward.)"

 

Those were the words you said to him, earlier. You felt happy that he used them on her, who probably also felt horrible about the amalgams she had likely created.

 

Not giving her a chance to respond, you turned and stepped through the door.

 

Incredible fear washed over you, and in the distance, to the left of the path, was a humongous looming metal tower. It hummed and hissed and clanked.

 

As you walked, you felt Gaster give you back control. You also felt a wave of even more exhaustion. You realized you had not rested since waking from Papyrus' shouting.

 

You cracked open the water and gulped it down. Then you put the rest of it in your phone, and opened the chips. They were labeled as "QBB popato chisps".

 

QBB? You put one in your mouth... Oh. BBQ.

 

You hungrily ate them, continuing to walk on the path. You could feel your energy returning as you ate, the magic enriching you.

 

(Good idea, getting the food. It definitely is helping. But... where are we going? What is that metal thing?)

 

Gaster feigned offense. (You mean you don't recognize my greatest creation?) He was kidding, but you immediately knew what it was.

 

You stopped and looked at it more intently.

 

 

"The Core."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooooo!
> 
> Fooled 'em.
> 
> Also, got some QBB flavored chisps. Yum.


	37. TRY ME.

Error watched on the monitors as the strange hybrid human challenged Fell Unyne. She seemed to know her movements, and said things to her that caused her to stop fighting. Error cursed silently, wishing he could hear what was going on...

 

As it progressed, he watched as the hand shot the bolt of energy at the lab, caving it in. He recognized this power, it belonging of course to W. D. Gaster. He had known for a long time that it was him, ever since they began to use magic and look more like him, back in their own universe.

 

Now, the hybrid even acted like him... the straight back, the calm demeanor. They still looked human, but ... it was eerie. He would definitely have to erase them at some point.

 

He felt Sans stir on his strings behind him.

 

"awa _ke, suns_ hine?" Error chuckled.

 

Sans opened his eyes and looked at him with patient disinterest.

"anything interesting happen on your screens?"

 

Error turned back, watching the hybrid go into the lab and speak with Fell Alphys.

"yo **ur friend is pre _tty_** _tough stuff_. s _eems a lot_ more like gaster than the **hu** **man** now..."

 

Error could feel Sans slump at the words.

 

"fighting f _ell und_ _yne and alp_ **hys like that...** quit _e talente d. they seem_ to be sca **ring them with ju**st words."

 

"really? you've got to _hand_ it to gaster, he is quite the wordsmith."

 

Error turned around, smiling dimly at the joke.

 

Sans gave a small, sad smile back.

 

" _my, how your jo_ kes brig **hten up the anti** -void." Error said sarcastically.

 

Sans' eyebrows raised. "if you're some sick version of me, don't you make jokes too?"

 

Error shrugged. "do _n't normal_ ly have any _one to make 'em_ to."

 

Sans remained silent at that, and Error turned back to the screens. He took in information from multiple different universes and timelines.

 

"so, if you need my help in fighting Chara, as well as the other Sans', then why are you waiting? Can't you travel to different times as well?"

 

Error thought about explaining to Sans why. He decided it couldn't hurt.

 

"my p _ower only works in spe **cific 'tr**_ **igge** r' moments in timelines. I have to **wait until a trigger** **happens** in one before **slipping in. Your frien** d see _ms to actually crea te trigg_ers wherever she goes... so it look _s like I will have to wait un **ti**_ **l she arrives** in another timeli **ne. Meanwhile, I can still return to _the_** _moment in Underfell after I left and capt_ ured you. I think I'll do _that now._ _.. and capture yo_ ur evil twin."

 

"my what?"

 

Error laughed quietly. " _you'll meet h_ im ~~soon~~."

 

 

\-------------

 

 

You progressed through the maze that was Hotland.

 

Puzzle after puzzle you went through, all deactivated by Alphys. You were very glad, otherwise, it would be taking you much longer to go to your destination.

 

Several monsters watched you walk through- all edgy and rough looking. Most minded their business, but many also stared angrily at you.

 

(I cannot wait until we get out of this universe...)

 

(Me either.) Gaster was just as off-put by the unfriendly atmosphere.

 

You went through a series of elevators, a dark corridor with plenty of spider webs, thankfully unoccupied, and eventually reached what seemed to be a hotel.

 

In the lobby was a statue of some sort of four-armed rectangular robot in a fountain. The fountain's water was red, however.

 

Several monsters stood around, all eyeing you suspiciously.

 

As you walked through, you asked Gaster, (Do you sense your fragment around here?)

 

You felt him stretch out his senses. A kind of "ping" came back from ahead of you, but not too far ahead. Gaster's fragment seemed relatively close. But it also sensed that you were looking for it, and you felt it recoil in anger.

 

(Well, this is good and bad. Now it knows we are looking for it.)

 

You progressed through the lobby. (If it seems so intent on not joining us, then how can we convince it? You said it was anger, right?)

 

(Yes, it is likely my anger. In which case, we could try to mitigate the anger ... perhaps by calming it down. I am not sure how it will react to that, but we can try.)

 

You thought about it, and went through the back doors of the hotel. A looming grey metal corridor met you, with a grand entrance, with red lights and neon running through it.

 

You wondered how it would feel to have Gaster's anger back. You remembered from earlier that Gaster was not angry when fighting.... and was only pretending to be. What would he be like truly angry?

 

You walked through the corridor, and saw a series of hallways, all lit up with red neon, running in stripes along the panels of metal. It was warm, but also tingly, like the air itself was infused with magic. You continued walking towards where you felt the shard.

 

(Whoah... this is the core, right?)

 

(Yes... it has very magical properties to be able to produce magical electricity from geothermal energy. Hence the atmosphere.)

 

(Where do you think your fragment could be?)

 

He thought, and you could feel his mind darken. (Given that it is part of me, I would say... I would be most angry at myself where I fell into the core.)

 

(Oh...) Your thoughts grew sad.

 

You thought about the dream that his fragment forced on you- the human trying to kill you in the field of fire, the room with the closing walls, and the inhabitants of Grillby's all not hearing you, and then melting... and then your own horrific reflection.

 

When you though about it, each event could be something that triggered some part of Gaster's anger. The war, and all the death surrounding it, and then the trapped room... like an analogy of the underground trapping monsterkind.

 

(Actually, that room from the dream was a real place. Before the barrier broke, I was trapped for years in that room. There was nothing there, no sound, no heat, and nobody else. I called it the void.)

 

Oh. That would definitely trigger anger if you were trapped in a place like that for years.

 

And the melting faces... well. You didn't know what that meant. Or if that was real.

 

Gaster didn't know either.

 

(But the melting faces and the reflection were definitely used as a scare tactic. Knowing myself...) His thoughts grew introspective and bitter. (I could easily shut out others from my own anger by scaring them away.)

 

(Hey, that's a natural thing. I've done that too, to a few people.) You comforted him.

 

As you walked through the hall, gently guided by Gaster's knowledge of the place, you noticed the hall get darker. It also felt... heavier.

 

(We must be getting close...) You felt your own emotions sink with the heavy feeling.

 

As you rounded the corner, you didn't see much other than darkness gathered in a large shadow near a opening in the wall.

 

You slowly approached it, and you saw it shift, like it was turning to face you.

 

In the darkness, you made out a face high atop the black shadow. White, with jagged cracks running from the eyes, the same jagged mouth in a frown, drooling blackness. Black voids of eyes looked down at you with a sort of quiet fury. He looked just like the version from your dreams.

 

"(You.... didn't listen. I told you not to come here...)" The voice was horrifically deep and staticky.

 

You put your hands on your hips, trying your best to be brave.

 

"You're damn right I didn't listen. I had to go through a lot of shit to find you too."

 

He closed its mouth, and his eyes narrowed.

 

"But enough about me. Why are you just lurking here? Why don't you want to join the rest of you? Help me understand."

 

His eyes opened wide in anger.

"( **You couldn't possibly understand!** )" The voice boomed, and you could feel his anger radiate off of him. You had a feeling you could feel his emotions because of your bond with Gaster. His fury was unbridled rage, and you could feel it burn your soul at the edges.

 

You stepped closer, your hands balling into fists. " **Try me**! You think I don't know anger?!" You felt tears burn at your eyes as you yelled at him.

 

 

Triggered by his outpour of anger, your memories of your life came rushing back to you in an unpleasant wave. All the people who betrayed you, who lied to you, who hurt you or your friends, who devastated people who where complete strangers to you...

 

Of your own government attacking civilians, of the horrors of war...

 

Of humans who lashed out against each other, for the color of their skin, their language, their religion, who they chose to be or who they loved....

 

Of humans who attacked monsters, for no reason, just because they existed....

 

Tears poured from your face.

 

" **TRY ME**." Your voice was broken and cracked. "And just _see_ what you find."

 

You saw his shadow form rush towards you, and the face lower so it was even with yours. It had a fierce gaze, staring intently at you with narrowed eyes and a gaping frown, but also one that was somehow... sympathetic?

 

You saw a white hand appear, long and clawed, with a hole, and suddenly it pressed against your upper chest, close to your neck, the huge thumb curling around the front of your neck, and the fingers splayed along your collarbone.

 

You felt the Gaster within you panic, but you would not let him interfere. This was something you had to prove.

 

His gaze never left yours, and you suddenly felt a heavy weight. Your eyes flickered, and then closed.

 

 

You plunged into darkness...

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting a bit fierce there, aren't ya?
> 
> Yeah, someday I will probably do an Error Sans x Reader fic. But for now I've got enough on my plate....  
> I just imagine him as being pretty lonely, all "sworn to protect the universes" and stuff, even though he's awful.
> 
> Also, I have managed to outline the climax of this story, so I know exactly where it is headed.  
> It's gonna be.... intense. ;)
> 
> But I do hope you guys know that it won't be for a while.... still have a few universes to go. And then, maybe, just maybe, there will be some sappy romance. Sorry (not sorry) for making this the slowest burn known to man.
> 
> Stay tuned! I'm on a roll lately.


	38. What Makes Us Real

In the darkness, you felt anger.

 

It was consuming you. You felt it rise and fall, like flames lapping at your mind.

 

It was strange... you felt like yourself, but also like him.

 

You felt him, in his purest rage, and all of the sadness and misery that accompanied it.

 

You too were angry. About what, you were unsure. There were so many things to be angry about, you thought, how could you choose?

 

What had happened? You were standing in the core, and now... you were...

 

Where were you? Dreaming again?

 

"Gaster?" You called using your voice and your mind.

 

You did not feel anything within you stir, but outside, you felt his presence.

 

"_______.... that is your name, correct?" His voice was true, but laced with traces of hatred.

 

"Yeah, I'm _______. Are we dreaming?" You looked around, hoping to see something.

 

As you turned, you saw, above you, a huge version of his face. It was probably about 30 feet, no, 100 feet, no, you could not tell. You had no sense of scale here.

 

It was huge, with a closed, jagged frown, black oozing from the seam, and cracks running down and up from the eyes. Tiny white pinpricks gazed down at you, in anger ... and maybe, curiosity.

 

You stepped back.

 

"We are not dreaming. I am inside your mind. I am, as you said, 'trying you'." His huge mouth spoke the words.

 

"And just how are you doing that?"

 

His eyes flared white, and you suddenly were forced into a memory.

 

 

You were on the street, in your city, and there were figures walking past you, all trying to get somewhere.

 

Ahead of you, you heard a grunt, and a shove. As you moved forward, you saw a small red monster with a smile on the ground. It had a red cape, and horns, and spindly black legs, with plus-sign shaped eyes. A human stood by it and glared down.

 

"Watch where you're going, freak. Shouldn't even be out here anyways..."

 

The monster smiled up at the human, and just stood up, not saying anything.

 

"Why the fuck you smilin' like that? Gonna say something?"

 

"I wasn't planning on it." The monster quietly said, still smiling. "But it looks like I have."

 

You stood a few feet away, watching this happen. A few other humans stood by as well.

 

The monster went to walk away, but the human grabbed its shoulder.

 

"Smartass monster... don't think you own this place. The surface is human land."

 

The monster looked at the person, still smiling, with the same expression.

 

"I will be going now..." It quietly said.

 

The human tightened its grip. "Without so much as an apology!?"

 

You could feel your own blood boil as it did in the memory. It then reenacted itself.

 

You walked up to the two, and stared daggers at the human.

 

"Hey, asshole, let the monster go."

 

They turned to you. "Fine." They released their grip, and the monster, looked at you, and smiled a little wider, and then walked onward.

 

The human turned to you. "Monster-loving _freak_." And walked away with their hands in their pockets.

 

You could feel yourself rage, but you knew it wouldn't be a good idea to make a scene, and would probably just make the person say some awful things you didn't want to hear.

 

But, unlike in the memory, your rage only grew. You felt it rise in you.

 

You then turned and saw another memory.

 

 

It was from your childhood.

 

You suddenly were young again, and on your elementary school playground. There was a crowd of children like yourself around a large, low wooden box. Chirping noises came from the box.

 

 

Oh no, you hated this memory...

 

 

You felt yourself push in to see the contents. Several chicks hopped around in a bed of straw and wood chips, all chirping and running from the hands of children.

 

"Now, remember guys, the chicks are fragile, so be very careful with them." Your teacher's voice was calm but firm.

 

You reached in the box to pet one, but it ran away. You tried another one, but it did the same. You did this for a while until you managed to corner one against the wall, which you then scooped up and held between your chick-sized hands.

 

As you held its light, soft body, you watched its head peep out from the opening in your hands. Its peeps were so cute, you thought. It was so soft.

 

"Hey, share!" Another set of tiny hands tried to pry the chick from yours.

 

You got angry. Who was this kid to take the chick you had tried so hard to catch?!

 

"No!" The two of you fumbled with the chick for a few moments, the other kid trying to pry your hands open, and you trying to keep the chick in yours. In a short moment, you heard a "crack".

 

 

The movement in your hands stopped, and you pulled away from the other kid, and opened your hands. The chick lie in them, unmoving, black eyes glossing over.

 

"No...?" You shook the chick gently, hoping to get any response.

 

Other kids noticed.

"Mrs. Kay! _____ killed a chick!"

 

You looked up in panic. "I didn't mean to! Riley was trying to take it and-"

 

"Nuh-uh! You killed it! Just like that!" Riley was in defiance.

 

You grew angry at Riley.

 

"_______, please, let me have the chick." Your teacher bent down her hands. You sat the chick in them, eyeing it, hoping it would blink, or move, or anything.

 

You grew scared. Sad. Angry. This time at yourself.

 

You did kill the chick. It was your fault. Tears welled in your eyes.

 

Mrs. Kay examined the chick. "Go play on the equipment, children. You can see the chicks tomorrow."

 

Everyone went "awwww" and went to go play, but you just stood there and began to cry.

 

If only Riley hadn't .... If you had just... been more careful...

 

You began to sob. Yet you were more angry than anything.

 

Angry at Riley, of course. But also angry at yourself. At the chick. At the teacher. At the universe.

 

You sat down on the ground and proceeded to cry. Mrs. Kay came over and sat down with you, and patted your back and said words, but you didn't hear them nor remember them. They didn't mean anything to you in this moment.

 

You, for the first time you could remember, hated yourself.

 

In your crying and fuming in anger, you felt yourself shift again.

 

This time you were in your apartment.

 

 

A familiar feeling washed over you... of dread.

 

Oh no... not this...

 

 

He stood in front of you. Your boyfriend.

 

Not him....

 

He was saying things.

 

 

"How can you not get off your high horse and see that the world isn't as peachy as you think it is?!" He shouted at you.

 

"I know it isn't ' _peachy_ '!" You shout back at him. You hated the reason you were fighting. It seemed so trivial, so simple to you, yet so aggravating to him, and yet, it caused... this...

 

"I just don't see how you can just suggest that I don't go! Sure, we will be separated for a while, but that's nothing! This trip can help me! I can live an experience that otherwise I could _never_ afford! Can't you understand that?" You took a breath. "God, I love you, but I gotta have my own life too. I want to go."

 

"It's five months, ______! You seriously think we can work it out if we don't see each other for that long?" He raged at you.

 

You gaped incredulously. " _Of course_ I think we can! There are phones, and Skype!"

 

"And that can be a substitute for us being together?"

 

You stared at him. "I thought... you wanted to be with me... for _more_ than just my body." You felt discomfort rise in you. "I thought you could handle physical distance, but _I guess I was wrong!_ " You yelled. You were furious. Did he just value your physical presence? Not your hopes, your dreams, your goals, your desire to live?!

 

He raged as well. "You don't get it- ______, if you're gonna put me through this shit, then I should just go back to xxxxx's place and _be with her!_ "

 

Did he just....

 

"'Go back'?!" Your voice cracked. "Did you _cheat_ on me with xxxxxx?!"

 

He smirked. "And you never even noticed! Too busy with your own life and work and 'dreams' that you didn't even see!" He frowned. "It's a shame, you are a much better option than her. She's so shallow.... but you're just so goddamn convinced that everything is ok and everyone should love everybody to see how ugly the world really is!"

 

"Get OUT."

Your voice was low, and your face deadpan. Tears streamed down your face. You pointed angrily at the door. You grabbed his bag and threw it at him, it lodging in his side as he caught it.

 

"Oh, I will! I hope I never see you again, ______. Maybe one day you'll learn that-"

 

"GET **OUT**! OUT! GO! LEAVE!" You shouted, and threw a couch pillow at him.

 

He rushed to the door, and opened it.

 

 

**"... that you're just as awful as the rest of the world!!"**

 

He slammed the door.

 

 

You collapsed on the couch, curling into a ball, face against the back cushions, tucked in your hands.

 

Everything, everything hurt. You were angry. You were rage incarnate.

 

You were miserable. You cried. You screamed into your hands.

 

You were angry at him- he betrayed you, cheated on you, and then admitted it.

 

Angry that you allowed yourself to love him. To be hurt by this.

 

You never thought he would... never thought...

 

You placed the blame on him. He cheated on you.

 

But.... what he said...

 

He attacked your personality, your own goals, your beliefs... and to top it all off, he said that you ....

 

_"... that you're just as awful as the rest of the world!!"_

 

Something you never wanted to hear.

Or to think.

 

That after all the good you had tried to do in the world, that the man who you trusted and loved more than anyone, would say that you were just as awful as the world...

 

And you believed him.

 

Surely, if you were so good, he wouldn't have cheated.

 

He would have been ok with your trip.

 

You could have never had this fight.

 

If you...

 

 

.... were a better person....

 

 

Suddenly, the darkness of your mind was swept away, and you were standing on the precipice of the edge of the core. Vials of red and hundreds of paper fell to the dark chasm below.

 

But you weren't you. You were Gaster.

 

As you felt yourself turn... you felt a push.

 

You were falling.

 

You let yourself fall.

 

A crack, a splintering, a ripping, and you ceased to exist.

 

Your thoughts died down, and a question remained.

 

Why wasn't I a better person?

 

This question made you angry.

 

With that anger, you arrived in a cold room, with nothing but walls.

 

Why am I not dead?!

 

The thought made you angry.

 

Why am I trapped?!

 

You got angrier. The room got darker until it was gone.

 

**WHY?!**

 

The anger ate at you until there was nothing left.

 

It left you raw and exposed.

 

You simmered silently, and in the darkness, you felt a sadness creep over you.

 

It was your own, not Gaster's.

 

You opened your eyes.

 

You were back in the core room- with Gaster's face close to yours, black tears streaming from his eyes, over his jagged seam of his mouth, and onto his shadow form below. His hand was still pressed to your sternum.

 

You too were crying.

 

"Y... you see?" Your voice was still broken from crying. Your throat was raw.

 

"We both aren't perfect people. But... that's ok. We can be mediocre people together."

 

You smiled sadly at him.

 

Recognition flashed in his eyes. His mouth parted, but he seemed to not have anything to say.

 

He closed his eyes, and began to fade. As he faded, you could see his jagged mouth change to a small smile.

 

Before you floated another white shard. It had very jagged edges, and seemed to be missing pieces in itself as well. You brought out your own soul, and watched as the fragment float closer. You tugged it in, and as it crossed over your chest, it connected to the rest of Gaster's soul.

 

Suddenly, passion rushed through you. It swept like fire.

 

 

It was fury, it was justice, it was self-loathing, it was vengeance, and it was ... warm.

 

It was Gaster.

 

As you opened your eyes, you nudged Gaster with your mind.

 

(You alright?)

 

(... Yes. Although, perhaps... the unpleasant emotions are what makes us real.) He thought sadly, but gladly.

 

You sighed. (Too true. I'm... glad we can... see that about us.)

 

Warmth spread through your mind and body.

 

(Me too.)

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sings*  
> AH CAN'T STAAHP.
> 
> It won't be terribly long until you're in another universe, then...  
> But which will it beeeee?
> 
> Can anyone guess? ;)  
> (Hint, it is one of the tags)


	39. Welcome to The Club

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe...
> 
> sorry folks. Not Outertale, not yet....
> 
> But eventually we will get there. Worry not.

While you were contemplating how to get back to the door to go to another universe, you heard footsteps.

 

You spun around, and immediately saw blue streak towards you, and then pain. Suddenly, you were immobile, only able to move your head. You also were suspended.

 

The frightening dark version of Sans stood in front of you, one arm wrapped in blue strings tied to your soul. The word "error" glitched in white around his head.

 

Error would be a good name for this creep, you thought.

 

He grinned at you. "hello again, little _hy_ _brid_. though, you _seem to have_ gotten ... **bigger since i last s** aw you. _heh_."

 

You looked down, and true enough, you did seem longer.... another impact of Gaster's fragment.

 

"What do you want with me? And where the hell is Sans?"

 

"all in due time, dear. but **for n** **ow, i simply want to** help you."

 

You frowned. "By doing what, exactly?"

 

He grinned. Suddenly, there was a flash of white, and you were suddenly freezing cold. You saw the white form into a snow-covered cliff face, where a grey door stood. Error sat you down on the ground, but still held your soul immobile.

 

You looked at him in confusion. "Why?"

 

His eyes shut lower, lazily grinning at you like Sans would. "top-secret mission, k **id. if i told** **you i'd hav** e to kill _you. but it does involve yo_ u staying alive, at least, for a wh _ile_."

 

"Does it involve Sans staying alive too?"

 

" **yeah, actually. so you don** 't have to worry _too much. just_ keep g oing, doing what you're doing. **and i'll se** **e you again, i'm sure**."

 

With that, the static roar came back, and a tear appeared behind him. He stepped through it, and you saw the strings holding you peel back, and follow him into the seam. You thought about following him, but before you could move again, the crack closed.

 

(Geez, there he goes... missed my chance.) You shivered, and pulled out your phone.

 

(He seemed to know that you would meet again, so I'd say we have another chance.)

 

You summoned a coat, and put it on immediately, once again uttering sweet thanks for dim boxes and your phone's infinite charge.

 

You then turned to the door.

 

(10 bucks says now it will open for us, but still not take us home.)

 

(I will not bet against that.)

 

You grimaced, and grabbed the freezing cold door handle with your hand. It turned.

 

Warm air washed through, and although you could not make out any shapes, colors that you did not recognize from the underground were there.

 

(Well, here goes...)

 

You stepped through.

 

 

 

 

 

Music blared at your ears. It was incredibly loud.

 

Your eyes managed to focus, and you realized that you were wearing the wrong attire.

 

 

You were in a club.

 

Lights flashed, and there were bodies everywhere. Some were monster, some were human.

 

 

What was going on?

 

You looked around, and there were bodies dancing in rhythm everywhere. The beat of the music was intense, and you found yourself also bobbing to the music. You felt the door shut behind you. You turned, and turned the handle again, but it didn't budge. As expected.

 

You turned back. You decided to wade through the crowd.

 

You looked at faces. They all looked at you with curiosity, seeing you wearing a parka. You took it off, and held it at your side. You looked around, incredibly confused. But you couldn't help feel... something at the music. It was more than the urge to dance. It was... driving you.

 

You walked closer to the front of the club, towards the stage. Nobody was on it now, but you saw a crowd gathering. The DJs behind the table were a ways back on the stage, but the majority of the stage was clear... maybe for a performance.

 

"Monsters and Humans! Welcome to Club G!" You heard cheer erupt as the announcer's voice came on.

 

"We know that many of you are here to see one special act, so please, without further ado...."

 

A figure stood in the corridor off stage, you could see. A hood covered their face.

 

"Please welcome..."

 

The figure backed up, and ran onto the stage, and slid across on their knees. They wore a dark blue hoodie that looked suspiciously familiar.

 

 

"Sans the Skeleton!"

 

 

Oh..... boy.

 

A song erupted, and a with a whirlwind of movement, Sans spun, his legs whirling over his head as he twisted his lower body, holding himself up with his fingerless-gloved hands. Blue surrounded him, and you saw it flicker around him and intensify as he moved.

 

He performed a complex series of dance moves, fast and sharp, in hip-hop style. His body flipped through the air, spinning, whirling, dodging.

 

The crowd cheered, and you watched in disbelief as he danced. He then proceeded to moonwalk. As he did, you saw him raise from the ground. He was moonwalking... on a giant floating bone.

 

Then the bone tilted, and he summersaulted off it backwards into another series of moves. He skipped around, jaggedly stepping and throwing himself back in beat, his arms echoing his upper body, pointing occasionally at the audience.

 

(What.... is going on....)

 

(I am unsure...) Gaster was just as weirded out as you were.

 

Sans continued dancing. His blue glow burned brighter, and you watched as his limbs left traces of the magic, like glowing string, floating behind them. It was like a light show combined with magic and dance. It was really, really cool. You felt yourself grooving to the beat too, and occasionally shouting with the crowd after a cool move.

 

Soon, lights panned from the ceiling above Sans, running through the crowd.

 

Sans continued dancing, but it seemed he was looking through the crowd.

 

You wondered whom for...

 

He then lurched forward, and slid on his knees to the front of the stage, and used the momentum to tumble forward, picking up his body on his arms again. He twirled for a moment, his legs pointing in several directions towards the audience. Shouts erupted seeming desperate for attention.

 

And then, his movements slowed, and his legs formed kind of two-pronged gesture, and one of his arms lifted to point with them. He stopped turning, and you saw a flash of a blue iris under the hood. The limbs were pointing directly at you.

 

 

Oh god.

The crowd erupted, and you felt people push at you. They pushed you forward, towards the stage. You could do nothing to stop them, and you tossed your coat aside onto a rail. The music grew louder as you neared it, and you tumbled up the stairs and onto the stage. Sans flipped to his feet, and turned to you. He gestured, as if "go on".

 

You looked out into the sea of faces and lights.

 

 

Ohhhhhhhh god.

 

You were supposed to dance?

 

(Well.)

 

(Yes Gast?)

 

(Let's.)

 

You felt magic spread through you, and your eyes glow white. The pulse of the music suddenly became a force that spread through you.

 

It made you feel.... determined.

 

You weren't sure if it was you or Gaster in control, but you put a foot forward, and launched into a series of side-steps, rhythmically moving around Sans in a circle, your body following, swaying in a graceful, yet edgy manner.

 

Every step was predestined, you knew what you had to do. You simply followed the music's command. You saw your body begin to glow. The audience cheered.

 

You threw yourself into it, forgetting the audience. Sans seemed to eye you with curiosity, and he began moving to compliment you. You swayed in a waltz-like manner, but combined it with the fast beat of the club music, and sharp movements.

 

Your arms whirled, and your torso moved with them. You felt amazing, so alive.

 

You had no idea how it was happening, given that you had never danced or been trained- but it seemed like something was telling you how to move and when.

 

The white glow intensified, and flared green and gold, and you began to move faster as the song picked up. Sans also upped his game, and you saw him leap over you.

 

You suddenly had an idea, which translated into a series of moves.

 

You bent over backwards, and saw Sans, but kept going, your legs following as you somehow did a standing summersault. You twisted in midair and faced Sans, and once you landed, you immediately sidestepped low to your left, and arched your back to the right, taught like a bow. The audience cheered.

 

Sans took this opportunity, and slid to your right, and grabbed your stretched out arm. You could feel his magic moving you as well now. He pulled on your arm, and you were launched into a slide to the right, arcing taller than him, still holding his hand, and bended the opposite way. You caught Sans' gaze under his hood as he looked up at you, and you both smiled at each other, knowingly.

 

Sans spun around, and you moved with him, linked by your hand, and you ricochetted off the end of his outstretched arm, flowing into a series of waltz-like steps, with twirls and fast-paced sways, gliding around the stage, like a top. Your hair frilled out as you danced, and you could feel the magic within you guide you.

 

You caught glances of Sans, who skip-hopped up to you, and then gently pushed your shoulder. You moved with the fall, as you lightly fell over to the side, as if you weighed nothing. The audience seemed to quiet, as if gasping.

 

But before you fell, you outstretched your arm, and summoned a hand. It touched the ground a foot away from your real hand, and you could feel the force of it stabilize your body as if it had an arm attached. You rocked over the hand, going upside down, pivoting in the air.

 

You smiled as your legs came down and you stood once again. The hand disappeared.

 

You then fell backwards, and did the same thing, doing a floating single-handed cartwheel. Then you did it in all four directions. The crowd roared as you showed off your new skill, but you realized Sans had stopped dancing. You stood back up after completing four, and looked at him.

 

Under his hood were his eye sockets, empty of all light. The blue surrounding him faded slightly.

 

You think you realized what had happened. He saw your magic, and recognized it.

 

You then rushed past him, grabbing his hand as you went, and took him into a waltz-hip-hop fusion of a duo dance. He noticed your intentions, and along with you, circled around the stage until the song ended (which was not long), and the two of you danced off the stage.

 

In the corridor, Sans whipped to face you, and another song started as the cheers from your exit died.

 

"who the hell are you?"

 

Your breath was heavy from dancing. You couldn't speak, so you just put out your hand with the "wait a minute" gesture, as you calmed your breath.

 

After you did, you said, "I know you're.... *huff* surprised to see... *huff* Gaster's magic... but it is gonna take a while to ... *huff* explain."

 

He gritted his teeth at you.

 

"well, i've got all night. come with me." He led you to a little lounge off the corridor. It was just two seats and a little table, with a soft table light on it.

 

He sat down in one, and you sat down in the other. You were still panting, but you gulped.

 

He nodded at you, his hood still up.

 

 

"go ahead."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iiiiiiit's Dancetale!
> 
> Quite the change from Underfell, eh? 
> 
> I am drawing from my own inspiration for this AU, since it mostly is about the attacks and magic being dance-based.  
> You probably guessed from the mix of humans and monsters, but this universe is a little different than the others you've visited.
> 
> Also, I have comprised a list of the Gaster fragments. Interpret them as you will, but all of them will come into or have come into play. They are not in any particular order.
> 
> Absolute Kindness  
> Absolute Despair  
> Absolute Anger  
> Absolute Whim  
> Absolute Curiosity  
> Absolute Ambition  
> Absolute Love
> 
> Enjoy theorizing. :D


	40. And He Laughed and Ran Away

It what was now seeming to be a regular occurrence, you explained to this new Sans your journey thus far.

 

You explained how you and Gaster met, bonded, and you vowed to undertake this quest with the help of your Sans, and then how you ended up in the swapped version, then the cruel version of the underground, and how you now had three of Gaster's fragments bonded to your soul. And, of course, how the creepy Error-Sans had stolen your Sans and helped you for some reason.

 

And now you had shown up here, in this strange universe.

 

"So, in actuality," you ended, "I really have no idea how I just danced, given that I normally suck...."

 

(I... may have learned dance at one point.)

 

You did a doubletake mentally, forcefully blinking in real life.

 

(YOU danced? Really? Did you ever dance like _that_ though?) You were surprised. Gaster always seemed so... poised.

 

(Not... quite like we did. It seemed like part of my style of dance, but also part of yours.) He seemed somewhat embarrassed. It was ... kind of cute?

 

"you... ok there?" Sans eyed you from under his hood, clearly confused at the faces you were making.

 

You laughed lightly, embarrassed. "Heh, sorry, I sometimes forget that people can't hear Gaster's thoughts too. Apparently he knew how to dance."

 

Sans smiled. "of course he did. The gaster I know was a master of the ballroom floor- a potential rival to even the royalty in the dance of the waltz."

 

You stared at him. (Uhhhh....)

 

(I assure you, I was not that good.)

 

You continued.

"Well, it seemed like, while dancing, that I somehow knew what to do. That maybe magic had something to do with it..." You looked at this Sans for some sort of explanation.

 

He nodded. "if you are from another universe, then perhaps your magic might be different. here, magic is used and generated through music and dance, the choreography becoming a kind of power that surrounds the body."

He arched an eye-socket at you. "it seems like you have your own sort of magic, too. humans don't always grasp the magic of soul-dance, but you seem to have a _helping hand_ with it."

 

You laughed at his pun. Gaster also found it amusing.

 

"Gaster probably helped a lot with that..."

 

(Likely. But some of it- the flips, and the dip in the side steps... that was you.)

 

You thought about this.

 

"So, in this universe, magic is fueled by ... _dancing_?" You just were double checking.

 

Sans grinned, eyes low-lidded. "yep."

 

Huh. What a strange universe.

 

"I also noticed that there were humans in the audience, and this club doesn't look like anything in the underground... Did monsters break the barrier here?"

 

Sans once again nodded. "a kid named frisk ballet-danced their way through the underground, and challenged the king. somehow, they managed to break the barrier without killing him. and now the whole world is just one big dance party." He grinned widely.

 

You nodded.

 

(Well, this is a great change from the past universe. The only question that remains is-)

 

(-is there another fragment here?) Gaster finished your thought.

 

(You got it. Sense away, Gast.)

 

You closed your eyes as you felt his sense stretch out in all directions. You actually seemed to be on a level above the ground, likely in a tall building. You felt the sense stretch outwards, further and further, and it struck something, some distance away, behind you.

 

It was definitely a fragment... and it recognized you.

 

It seemed to... emotionally smile at you? And then... laugh... you could almost hear it, but it was more of a feeling than anything. Then, in a burst, it flashed and disappeared.

 

You opened your eyes, your face contorted in confusion.

 

(So, we have your curiosity, your anger... and this is.... your....)

 

(.... I can't place it.)

 

You sighed, and looked back at Sans, who was still watching you, not saying anything with a confused look.

 

"Sorry again, we sensed a fragment."

 

His eye sockets widened. "so there is one here?"

 

You nodded. "Yep. He laughed at us and ran away."

 

Sans looked confused. You nodded.

 

"Yep. Not sure what that means, but... now we know we have to search."

 

Sans sighed, and rubbed the back of his hood with his boney hand, only finger bones exposed from the glove. You crossed your legs in the chair, which you now realized were considerably longer than you remembered.

 

Oh, you should see what you looked like now...

 

You pulled out your phone, and turned it to camera mode, then switched the camera.

 

You saw as you touched your phone that the circles in your palms were now very apparent, although not entirely see-through.

 

You looked at the screen. Well... you had definitely... changed.

 

Your shoulders were wider, like a man's, and your neck was thinner. Your head shape was elongated, and your cheeks and jaw were beginning to turn in sharper angles. Your hair was now white on the ends. Your skin was paler yet, and the cracks that stretched from your eyes were now complete, and dark, and broke off into multiple veins on their own on your left cheek. Your eye color was now gone, replaced by a white iris.

The most eye-catching change was, however, the black smear that surrounded the bridge of your nose.

 

You tried to smudge it off, but for some reason, it seemed untouchable. As you turned your head, you realized, with slight panic, that the smudge wasn't actually on your nose, but under it, like your nose was ghosted on top of it. It was like the beginnings of a nasal cavity of a skeleton.

 

... Huh.

 

Gaster seemed surprised as well, as if he hadn't had this facial feature before either. He also seemed ... curious.

 

(I never had a nose... so it must be a combination of your bodily structure and my appearance. It is interesting, the interaction of our features...)

 

He stopped thinking, realizing your growing desire to laugh. And you did just that.

 

(Sorry, it's just...)

 

He grew concerned.

 

(It's funny! You're so fascinated by my... our face. Sometimes I forget you are not used to a human body...)

 

Gaster flustered a bit at this, and stirred around in emotions of curiosity, embarrassment, and your own amusement.

 

You turned off your phone and slumped in the chair, laughing quietly. Sans was watching you, but now knew better than to try and understand what was going on. As you slumped in the chair, you suddenly realized how very, very tired you were. Your eyes slowly started to drift closed....

 

 

In a short while, your coat was retrieved from the dance floor by a short skeleton in a hoodie and fingerless gloves and draped over you. But you were too asleep to notice.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean, you slept last, like what, 9 chapters ago? You must be exhausted.
> 
> Let's see what dreams come now... what a strange fragment you encountered.
> 
> At least you're in a nice, safe universe.
> 
> Probably.
> 
> (Maybe.)


	41. In Chains

As the gash in time-space closed with a quiet roar, Error admired his capture on the end of his strings.

 

Fell Sans was glaring it him with gritted pointy teeth and making muffled sounds. Error, of course, was not letting him open his mouth. He knew better then that.

 

He then strung him from floating strings in the anti void, and outstretched his arms like the crucified Sans next to him. As he stepped back, he admired his work. Two puppets, all nicely strung up. One blue and calm, one red and incredibly feisty.

 

It was then that Fell Sans stopped staring angrily at Error long enough to notice the other version of Sans strung next to him.

 

Classic spoke up, amusement on his face.

 

"got you too, eh? i'd give you advice on how to escape, but as you can see, i'm a little _tied up_ right now."

 

Error witnessed the confusion, and then brief amusement that crossed Fell's face, before it turned back to anger.

 

Fell looked back to Error, his face a mix of confusion and hatred.

 

Error let his grip slip slightly, and Fell began shouting.

 

"-the HELL is this shit, you fuckin' freak captured me while i was SLEEPING you nasty piece of-"

 

Error immediately shut his mouth again, and he continued mumbling angrily.

 

"now now, number 13, yelling a _cc_ _usations will get you nowhere_. **i did capture you while you w** ere asleep, you _should have been on better guard_. als o, you didn't even notice the Gaster-h _ **uman hybrid leave** your safe hiding place_." Error grinned madly.

 

Confusion stopped his mumbling. He looked at Error, and then noticed the screens behind him. Simmering anger and irritation crossed his face, and Error let him speak again, if only to hear his frustration. It was so amusing.

 

"you fuckin' surveil our lives? you creep... the fuck d'you want with me anyways?"

 

Classic spoke up in response. "ol' glitchy here needs multiple versions of himself to help combat an even grosser abomination than himself." He frowned while speaking.

 

Fell looked sideways, as far as his eyes would allow, towards Classic.

 

"and the fuck are you? some wimpy-ass version of me?"

 

Classic smirked. "i'd say a more classy version. he calls me 'classic' and you apparently are from 'underfell', so shortened is 'fell'. you met _______, right?"

 

The red one nodded, somehow calmer at the mention of the hybrid. "you're the sans from her universe?"

 

Classic nodded.

 

Fell looked back to Error, eyes full of disdainful anger. "so you're the creep that she talked about, capturing her version of me. and all this 'alternate universe' stuff is real." He narrowed his eyes. "and you really need our help to fight somebody who is worse than you?"

 

Error frowned in irritation. It wasn't like he wasn't powerful by himself, but this being... this... ABOMINATION he had to destroy. If it got the rest of... well, nobody would be able to stop it.

 

" _what i aim to destroy is ~~more powerful~~ than any o_ n **e of us. it will take several of u** s, and so i **am recruiting who i am able, with** the help of th _e hybrid's triggers in each_ of the universe she visits."

 

Fell's eyesockets raised. "what could be so fuckin' bad that you steal multiple versions of yourself just to be able to face it?"

 

Classic's eye sockets darkened, and he turned to Fell.

 

"it's chara. chara has taken control of a timeline."

 

Error blinked patiently. "fell has _no knowlegde of chara. ever **y child tha**_ **t goes through his** unde rground is innocent and kind, but few make it _far because of the cruelty o **f its inhab**_ **itants. frisk has nev**er come in his world."

 

Sans' eyes re-lit their white pricks in concern. "then he has no idea-"

 

" _what we are_ **going to face, yes, ~~i am aware~~**." Error finished, annoyed.

 

"but he has to know gaster, right?"

 

Fell looked at Classic. "what about 'im? something about the hybrid?"

 

Classic shook his head.

 

Error explained. "chara, you see, is the embodi **ment of a tortured h** **uman soul, which is bent on destru** ction and death of humanity and whatever timeline they ar _e in. chara killed everyon **e in the un**_ **derground thousands of times over, in _m_** _ultiple timelines, just f_ or curiosity's sake. but until now, they have been unable to do much _, having only a human so **ul to latch onto. a human soul con**_ **trolling a huma** n soul is powerful, but poss **esses no magic of its own**."

 

Classic's eye began to glow blue with anger. "but somehow, in one universe, chara found something else to bond to."

 

Fell began to put the pieces together.

 

 

" **... a fragment of gaster**."

 

 

 

\------------

 

 

 

It was darkness. Once again.

 

You looked around. It was empty.

 

Welp. This was typical of your dreams, after all.

 

"Hellooooooo..." You called out.

 

You felt a presence immediately respond.

 

Suddenly, the darkness shed away into a bright field of flowers. They were gold, and blew gently in a breeze. You turned around to find a small figure sitting in the flowers next to you.

 

He looked up at you, and you nearly died.

 

 

It was a young version of Gaster, eyes wide, cracks barely visible, smiling up at you, his hands tying flowers together into a chain. His lower half was a pooled lump, but his upper half was normal, albeit, tiny.

 

"Hi! What's your name?" His voice was like a kid's, too.

 

"Oh my go... gosh." You corrected yourself. He was a kid, after all.

 

His face looked skeptical. "That's a weird name."

 

"No, sorry, my name is ______. You're Gaster, right? A fragment of him?"

 

It smiled. "Yep! Please, sit down, join me."

 

You did just that. This was such a good dream, compared to your normal ones. The flowers were soft and smelled sweet.

 

" _I_ ," he proclaimed, "am making flower chains."

 

"And _I_ ," you proclaimed in response, "will help you. But first, I have a few questions."

 

His hands knitted together three flowers at once onto a chain. He looked at you with a sarcastic grin. "I may have a few answers."

 

"So." You plucked a flower. "I tried to reach out to you in this universe and you just ... laughed at me and disappeared. Why?"

 

His hands moved quickly, elaborately. He had more than just two, you noticed. You sensed he had bigger plans than just a simple crown of flowers. The flower chains piled in his lap.

 

"The question you should be asking is 'why not'. You obviously want to find me, do you not?"

 

You tied your flower to another. "Do I _knot_?" You grinned at him. He grinned back, with a gleeful smile, eyes wide. You had never seen such joy on any of Gaster's faces.

 

You continued. "But I do want to find you. I want to put you back together, so I kinda have to."

 

"I thought so." He knotted even more flowers, still grinning. "But what is the point of your journey if you don't enjoy it?"

 

You raised your eyebrows and tied more flowers on. You realized that your hands were just your own- no holes in the palms. "I haven't had much luck with that, unfortunately. Too busy trying to stay alive. The universes have been a bit... unkind."

 

"I am sorry to hear that." He looked at you with a concerned smile. God, this Gaster was adorable, and so sweet...

 

But of course, he sensed this too, and his look changed to one of curious glee, his eyes narrowed, his mouth smirking.

 

"You think I'm cute in this form." He said it nonchalantly, as if stating a fact. Which it was.

 

You scoffed, brushing it off, and looked to your flower chain, pitiful compared to his massive collection.

 

"I mean, can you blame me? The others I faced have been a bit more intimidating than you. You're also the only one to offer to make flower chains with me."

 

His grin widened. "Ah, the rest of me has such inhibitions... I am not looking forward to them.... so I guess I will assert myself more strongly when we bond again."

 

Your eyes lit up and you stared at him.

 

"You said 'when'. So you'll just join me then?"

 

He smirked again. "I told you, you have to enjoy your journey. Then maybe I will show myself to you."

 

You made a face of frustration. "Oh, come on. I just danced in a club, in front of everyone, with Sans. I've had fun."

 

He raised an eyebrow. "But not enough fun, clearly."

 

You connected your chain, and held up the loop. It was too small for your head, and too big for your wrist. Hmm...

 

You reached over and placed it on top of his head. His head was smooth and warm, something between the smoothness of bone and flesh. His eyes went wide and his mouth was slightly agape. He then registered what you did and his face lit up again.

 

"See? I can do fun."

 

"Oh, I can tell you can. But I have an idea for helping you have even more." He grinned, seeming to be plotting. It was almost, almost an evil grin, which still looked cute.

 

"And that is?"

 

He knotted some more flowers together with many hands. "You....

 

...... should compete in a dance competition."

 

"... What."

 

 

He smiled wider at your confusion. "If you try your best, I'm sure you'll have a blast. And then, maybe, I will join you."

 

"Are you serious?" You tilted your head in disbelief.

 

"No, I'm Gaster." He grinned.

 

You forcefully exhaled in frustration. "I don't even-"

 

"Of course you can dance. You have magic in you, not just Gaster's. You have this."

 

He grabbed his flower chain mess from several points with all his hands, and picked it up gently. The chains draped to form an elaborate tapestry of golds and greens, in the shape of a heart. Of your soul.

 

 

You didn't know what to say.

 

"You can do this. I know you can. And I know you'll have fun, too. Just try it."

 

You huffed at him.

 

"Go on. Why not have fun?"

 

Your thoughts grew a little sad. "Why not just join with me so we can put you back together? Did you know Sans is captured? He could be in danger right now, and you'd be having me _dance_?"

 

He gave you a look of surprise as you mentioned Sans being captured, and then another smile.

 

"Yes."

 

You frowned. "Well then. I guess I have to."

 

He smiled, closing his eyes.

 

"But.... I'll have you know..."

 

He opened them.

 

"This is also _cruel_ of you."

 

He looked shocked. The light within the field of flowers suddenly darkened, as if a cloud had moved in.

 

You stood up, leaving him in his shocked state.

 

"I'm waking up now. It was nice to meet you.... but I'd prefer to get started as soon as possible."

 

He sat there, still holding the flowers that looked like your soul.

 

"See you soon."

 

You woke.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one of my favorite chapters to write, by far. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy the tidbit I threw it with Error. Can you see? It's all related. ;)
> 
> Yeah, along with all you theorizers of Whim- he is an absolute wild card. Whim has no need for morals, no need for time, no need for dedication....  
> I absolutely love Whim, but he can easily be a destructive force if not kept in check.
> 
> We will see where this leads.


	42. Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The songs that Sans and you danced to last night was this, btw  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p_4SDE2PEQ
> 
> Looking forward to all the songs that you'll dance to in the contest! XD

As you blinked open your eyes, you were still filled with the bitterness from your dream. That fragment... it liked to enjoy life, and it was fun to be around, but it apparently had no sense of compassion or urgency.

 

Colors began to register as you moved your eyes.

 

You were on a leather couch, laying down, still in your clothes from the night before. The room you were in looked like a living room of an apartment, but a nice one. In front of you was a tv and a glass and metal coffee table. To your right was a kitchen, with nice stone countertops, and modern lights, dark cabinets, and a silver double-door fridge.

 

It was, overall, a pretty swanky apartment.

 

But you had no idea whose it was or how you got here.

 

You rocked yourself up, and felt for your phone, which was still in your pocket. There was a blanket that fell of of your shoulders as you sat up, and you saw your coat on a coat rack near a door. Light poured in through some windows, and you saw the sides of tall buildings beyond it, as well as the sky. You were in a tall apartment, for sure.

 

You yawned. As short as the dream seemed, you felt pretty rested. Like you had slept for days.

 

You mentally reached for Gaster. He felt your reach.

 

(I am still here, _____. Though I must say, I am at a loss for how to explain the fragment from the dream.)

 

(... You don't have to. I think that emotion.... the carefree nature.... is in us all. And it's just like a little kid, too... unable to understand why it shouldn't just have fun all the time.)

 

Gaster thought about this. (You are, as always, correct. I just hope that it will agree to join us when it said it will. I am not sure how good its word is.)

 

You sighed, holding your head in your hands. (Also true. But, at least, this universe is a nice change from the others. We don't have to worry about death or people stealing our souls every second.)

 

(I have a good feeling about this universe as well. However, it might be to our benefit to find out where we are exactly.)

 

(....right.)

 

"Uh.... hello?" You spoke, hoping someone would hear.

 

A loud clattering erupted, and a tall figure burst from a door down the hall and soon appeared in front of you. You immediately recognized him.

 

"WHY HELLO, STRANGE HUMAN! IT APPEARS YOU ARE AWAKE! I SHALL ALERT MY BROTHER. SANS!!!" Papyrus was dressed in clothes similar to the original Papyrus you met, although his boots were shinier, more fitted, and seemed to clatter more as he walked. He also walked a bit more elegantly than you remembered.

 

You smiled up at him. "Good morning, Papyrus." Upon recognizing his confusion, you quickly added, "Your brother told me your name."

 

"THAT IS INDEED A SHAME, AS NOW FORMAL INTRODUCTIONS ARE LESS NECESSARY. HOWEVER, WE SHALL STILL DO THEM, AS I DO NOT KNOW YOUR NAME."

 

You gingerly stood up, feeling your body ache slightly from all the.... well, everything that had happened. You offered your hand.

 

"It is lovely to meet you. My name is ______."

 

"AND IT IS LOVELY TO MEET YOU, _______. I AM, AS YOU KNOW, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DANCER EXTRAORDINAIRE." He took you hand, and instead of shaking it, whisked you into a twirl, holding your hand above your head, and then dipping you down, catching you with his other arm, and then suddenly up again.

 

 

You stood there for a brief moment, still holding his hand, your face wide-eyed and blinking into the distance. You had mental whiplash.

 

Right, this universe- all about dancing. You released his gloved hand, embarrassed for still holding it.

 

"mornin', ____, paps."

 

Sans strolled in from down the hall as well, wearing the same outfit you remembered him in from yesterday. You now realized the difference between his outfit and your Sans' fully. He wore a blue hoodie with draw strings and no zipper, hood up, and long hip-hop style pants, with a pair of court sneakers to complete the look. His hands were in his pants pockets as he regarded you two.

 

"Morning, Sans. Nice apartment." You said, looking around again.

 

He grinned back at you. His eyes always seemed in a half-lidded state, like he was even more laid back than your Sans. "thanks." He walked next to his brother.

 

Papyrus spoke again. "MY BROTHER SAYS YOU ARE A FRIEND OF A FRIEND'S FROM FAR AWAY, AND THAT YOU NEEDED A PLACE TO STAY, WHICH I AM FINE WITH, BUT CONFUSED, GIVEN THAT HIS FRIENDS ARE MY FRIENDS AND I THEREFORE SHOULD KNOW YOU."

 

You laughed lightly, and looked at Sans and lightly acknowledged his good lie.

 

"Well, it's true. Thank you very much for allowing me to stay. I have business here in town, apparently, which I just found out about from my boss last night." You eyed Sans again, with intent. His eyes opened slightly, and he nodded in understanding.

 

"AND WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS WOULD THAT BE?" Papyrus seemed genuinely curious.

 

You sighed. "Apparently, I am supposed to participate in a dance competition."

 

Both brothers widened their eyes. You could have sworn Papyrus had stars in his.

 

"A DANCE COMPETITION? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO? I TOO AM ENTERING IN ONE!"

 

"Really?" This would be great, you could enter the same one.

 

"YES! YOU SHOULD PARTICIPATE AS WELL! THERE ARE MANY CONTESTANTS, EVEN THE GREAT METATON HAS ENTERED!"

 

"What are the rules?"

 

"ONE VERSUS ONE, IN BRACKETS. IT IS A BLIND CONTEST- YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT SONG YOU WILL DANCE TO OR WHO YOU WILL DANCE AGAINST. I HAVE SEEN AND ENTERED MANY IN THE PAST, AND CAN ASSURE YOU, THEY ARE QUITE SPECTACULAR."

 

Oh boy. You actually were going to do this.

But maybe, if it was anything like last night, you would forget nerves and dance and the magic would just carry you.

 

"Have you signed up yet?"

 

"NOT YET. I WAS PLANNING TO TODAY. I CAN SIGN YOU UP AS WELL! WORRY NOT, DEAR HUMAN! I WILL DO THIS FOR YOU SO YOU ARE ABLE TO ... GET CLEANED UP AND REFRESHED BEFORE TONIGHT."

 

Your eyebrow raised. Cleaned up? Tonight?

 

"YES, THE CONTEST IS TONIGHT." Papyrus noticed your confusion.

 

You sighed. Well, at least it was going to go fast. One step closer to getting Gaster in one piece.

 

"and you're welcome to use our bathroom to get changed or take a shower, ____. you... look like you could use a little r&r." Sans gave you a small sad grin.

 

You probably did look like a genuine train wreck, given all that had happened. You also knew for a fact that you definitely needed a shower.

 

"I think I'll take you up on that. And don't worry," you pulled out your phone and gestured to it. "I've got all my towels and clothes and stuff in here."

 

Sans nodded. "i'll show you to the bathroom. are you headin' out, bro?"

 

Papyrus eagerly nodded. "YES, I AM. I AM ALSO HEADING TO UNDYNE'S TO GET SUPER-DANCE-TRAINING BEFORE THE EVENT, SO I WILL LIKELY NOT SEE YOU UNTIL THE CONTEST."

 

You smiled up at him. "Well, I'll see you there then Papyrus. Thanks again for signing me up, and letting me stay over."

 

"hey, it's no skin off our bones."

 

"AUGH. I AM LEAVING. I WILL SEE YOU LATER, _____. I WISH YOU LUCK."

 

You giggled at Sans' pun. "See ya."

 

The door slammed very shortly after, and Sans led you to a door down the hall, which opened to an equally swanky bathroom.

 

"Thanks, Sans."

 

" _shower_ thing, kid. but what were you were saying earlier... does gaster really want you to dance in a competition?" He eyed you with amusement.

 

"Yep. Says he won't join me and the rest of Gaster otherwise." You pressed your mouth into a flat grimace.

 

"well, i'd say you have a good chance of winning. so don't worry. you'll do great."

 

"Thanks Sans." You suddenly were aware of your own scent. "I'm gonna shower now before I gross up your apartment." You stepped in the bathroom.

 

"alright. i'll be out here when you're done. let me know if you need anything."

 

"Cool." You gently shut the door, and let out a sigh in the spacious bathroom. Modern white stone tiles were everywhere, and a raised pedestal sink was on a slab of the same white stone. The shower was walk in and glass. Pretty much the nicest bathroom you had ever seen.

 

You also saw yourself in the mirror. Once again, you were reminded of how much you had changed. You were tall now, about 5'11", and had a thinner body and neck, broader shoulders, and were overall more sharp angled. The white hair tips were a cool look, you thought.

 

You took off your tank top, and threw it on the floor. It was stained a bit with dirt and blood. You then took off your pants, also throwing them to the floor. You caught another glimpse of yourself in the mirror, and indeed, you were significantly thinner. You looked like you had the body of a typical supermodel- thin, lanky, almost androgynous...

 

Although this was a body type you had wished for at some point, you realized now that it was a bit unnerving to see yourself like this.

 

Your face was also so different. Your white irises, the splintering cracks in your pale skin, and the dark crevice of your nose under your skin. Everything was longer and more elegant.

 

You then went to unclasp your bra, which you realized was... a bit bigger than you now needed it. It seems not everything grew as the rest of you did.

 

You threw your bra to the floor too.

 

You then began to undress further, but you then felt a sudden kind of .... feeling. Like curiosity. And it wasn't yours.

 

Wait a minute...

 

 

 

Was Gaster watching this whole time?!

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> e_0 
> 
> Oh hey Gaster, whatchoo doin'?
> 
> (Gaster screams like a girl and runs away, embarassed)


	43. Body/Image

You caught him off guard.

 

(Oh my goodness, _____, I am so sorry, I did not mean to-)

 

(You... uh... saw me.... undress...)

 

You were kind of drawing a blank mentally. You stood, facing the non-mirror side of the wall, which was still so shiny you could see the silhouette of your body on the polished stone.

 

(I just... I have no excuse. I was simply used to being present in your mind, and now our connection is even stronger, and I... I ....) Gaster was very, very embarrassed and sorry. But you could tell part of him was... curious about your appearance.

 

That curiosity. He did get it back, after all. That would explain why he wasn't when you first bonded.

 

(Well...) You tried to think clearly. (I mean, you have felt every part of me all this time, so it isn't really an invasion or anything. Hell, we are sharing this body, and it is looking more and more like you every time we get another piece of you.)

 

(... still, I did not wish to intrude...)

 

(You know, I can tell you are curious.)

 

He freaked out. It was actually pretty funny, feeling a guy normally so composed and serious get so flustered.

 

(I mean, you can't hide much from me. And I get it. You probably haven't seen many human bodies this close before. I've never seen a monster this close before.)

 

You even laughed a little bit.

 

(We're literally in this together, right? And soon this body will be equally parts you and me. So, I can't really respect your privacy anymore either, even if I want to.)

 

He considered this. (Yes... you are right again. It seems... we will know all of each other by the time this is done.)

 

You sighed, and pressed your hands against the wall, admiring the holes in your palms. The cold stone was semi-visible through them.

 

(Say, why don't we take this time to get to know each other better? I ask a question, then you ask a question. I have some curiosity about your body, anyways. It's ok if you don't want to answer, too.)

 

Gaster was a bit surprised. (.... If you wish to, I would also be interested.) You could feel his interest- it was genuine, and he just wanted to learn more about you and your body. It wasn't creepy, or even sexual... just... curious.

 

(Ok. Well, were you born with these holes in your palms?)

 

You felt like you hit an emotional sensitive spot, as his emotions flared in many, many different directions.

 

(Woah, I didn't mean.... you really don't have to answer that one.)

 

(.....) You could feel him calm, and quiet. (I will likely tell you someday. But... not yet. Please, feel free to ask another question.)

 

(Ok. Hmm.... how tall were you?)

 

(I was 7 feet tall.)

 

(Geez, wow. Here I am, feeling like a tower at ... whatever height this is, 5'11" maybe? It's like everything is so much smaller!)

 

He was amused at this. (Yes, being shorter has been... a learning experience.)

 

You laughed. Then, you remembered you were laughing in a bathroom, with nobody but yourself in the room, in a universe where dance was the creator of magic. Then you laughed a little harder.

 

You felt Gaster catch onto your amusement as well, and you felt him laugh as well. The mirth that both of you had was enough to sustain muffled laughing, as you put your hand over your mouth to keep Sans from likely hearing your outburst.

 

But you eventually calmed down.

 

(Oh, feel free to ask a question to me.) You thought about this. (You can... um, ask whatever. We're gonna be like this for a while, and ... I don't really want to be hindered by awkwardness.) You huffed. (We might as well shower, while this is happening. Get that whole body thing cleared away.)

 

Before he could react, you turned back towards the mirror side, the only piece of clothing on you your underwear. You felt your eyes graze over your figure.... and...

 

The feelings from him were simple- awe, and more curiosity.

 

You felt yourself react- awe? He... thought your body... was cool....?

 

Talk about a self esteem boost.

 

Well. The additions from his body were also quite cool too, you thought.

 

(... If you don't mind a question...) He was hesitant.

 

(I don't, really, go ahead. I also don't really know the extent of your knowledge of human anatomy.)

 

You headed for the shower, and pulled shampoo, towels, and soap out of your dim boxes.

 

(I assure you, it is quite limited. But I do know some of the differences between the sexes. Humans and monsters have different methods of reproduction, but in essence, it is the same.)

 

You got really confused by that, and now you were curious, but you though these were questions for maybe another time. You let him ask now.

 

(Is it true that humans are constantly regenerating their body? That eating food replenishes the atoms in your body, and you discard the atoms that are no longer useful?)

 

You did a double take. How could something this basic... wait, monsters... didn't?

 

(Of course it's true. We eat food, and shed hair and skin, and go to the bathroom...) You had a though as you neared the toilet. Wait.

 

You hadn't used the bathroom.

In, like, days.

 

You began freaking out.

 

(What's wrong, ______?)

 

(I haven't gone to the bathroom in a scarily long time. Like... unhealthily. What is monster food even made of?)

 

(Magic. So you wouldn't need to discard that. It just sustains your energy supply.)

 

Oh, thank god. That would explain some of that. You took a breath.

 

(I am not counting the monster food question as one, so it is again your turn.)

 

You tried to turn on the water in the shower to a good temperature. Like every guest shower, you fiddled with it until you figured it out. It was like a damn riddle every time.

 

(Yeah, sorry.) You stripped off your underwear, and stepped into the shower, feeling the warm water wash over you. It felt absolutely fantastic.

 

You both took a moment to feel it. Gaster, once again, somehow was amazed by this.

 

(Ok, so my question.... is.....) You thought.

(..... Do you have a muscular structure like humans? Like, I have seen you in many different forms, but your torso and below always seem non-defined, probably from the splitting in the core... but what did your body use to look like?)

 

He thought about your question. (I wouldn't say I have muscle, but my body does look similar to a human's. It is a bit thinner than human musculature allows. The proportions are a bit exaggerated compared to typical humans as well. Before I fell into the core, I also didn't have cracks on my face.) He seemed to sigh emotionally. (That is a recent development.)

 

(Ah... I see. Your turn then.) You applied shampoo to your greasy hair- it felt great getting clean.

 

(This... may be a strange question, but in human novels and movies I have witnessed, I have heard about such a thing as "chemistry" between possible mates. What does this mean? I have no idea how it would apply to actual chemistry.)

 

You smiled. Ah, so innocent, so intellectual.

 

(You see Gaster, in human sexual relations, pheromones are released somehow, and they indicate certain things to certain people. Some people like certain signals better than others, subconsciously. Chemistry between people can also refer to the social dynamic of the two. Maybe even the sexual dynamic. Or it could even refer to how much they look "good" for each other. It is really just a complex thing that nobody really can nail down. It is hard to understand even for humans- it isn't really a rational science like actual chemistry, by far.)

 

By this time, you had finished your hair, and moved on to washing your body. You were very happy that your smell was diminishing and being replaced by the comforting scent of your bodywash.

 

(I see. Interesting...)

 

(This is interesting. We're both learning so much!)

 

(Indeed.) You could tell Gaster was feeling your body as you washed it- he still was just full of awe for some reason.

 

(But now, for my question- which may be pretty awkward, but... you know, I have to know since you mentioned it. How... do monsters reproduce?)

 

Gaster did not seem off put at all. Like it was an everyday question. He was a scientist, you reminded yourself.

 

(Monsters have children in essentially the same manner as humans do. However, there are not specific roles in the pair of mates- each combine the magic of their soul, and one chooses to carry the developing child internally until it is of a certain stage of development. Then, the soul detaches and creates a child monster.)

 

(So... sorry if I'm asking more than one question, but any form of monster could carry a child? Gender has nothing to do with it?)

 

(You are correct.)

 

You wondered about the technicalities of the whole process, but figured the answer would just be "magic" so you gave up with that.

 

You finished cleaning yourself, and turned off the water. You reached to grab your towel, but suddenly it was already around you.

 

You looked and saw floating hands by your shoulders.

 

(You didn't have to do that Gast...)

 

(You shouldn't have to do all the work for this body, I've decided. I need to pay more attention as well.)

 

You smiled, and dried yourself off. How did he even manage to possess so much more kindness in a broken state than most humans could muster in their whole being?

 

(Well, if you want work, pick out an outfit for our competition tonight. You remember the clothes I packed, right?)

 

(Yes, I can do that.)

 

(Great.) You, in the mean time, picked out the most flexible and comfortable bra and underwear you owned, and donned them. You passed the phone to a floating hand.

 

By the time you had turned around, hands were on your phone and had summoned an outfit- a grey button-up tank top, and loose-fitting black pants that were partway between cargo pants and sweatpants.

 

(Great choice.) You put on the clothes, and looked in the mirror.

 

You smiled back at yourself. At yourselves? You couldn't tell.

 

You noticed, as you smiled, that your left eye wouldn't open as far as the other. You tried opening them wide, but it would just not move past its current state.

 

(Well. We change every day.)

 

(If we didn't, we wouldn't be living.)

 

You nodded at yourself, and headed out towards the door.

 

 

(Truer words have never been spoken.)

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See, Gaster isn't a creep. Just curious.
> 
> What were you expecting? Something sexual? ;P (one day, my fellows, but not today)  
> Remember, he can't really comprehend love at this current time...  
> He... doesn't have the heart for it.  
> (Yet.)
> 
> At the very least, he think your body is *cool*. 
> 
> Meanwhile, you are still kinda curious what exactly monster sex is. I mean, you would be, wouldn't you?


	44. "Your Body's Poetry!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important stuff-
> 
> As we are now in Dancetale, I highly recommend listening to the music links and checking out the dance move links I set in here. You'll see 'em.
> 
> Also, maybe try to read while listening to the song, beginning the play when it begins in the story.
> 
> Turns out, dancing is very hard to write.  
> But I want the reader to do well in this, and that means more dancing....  
> ...  
> *wheezes in frustration*

The day blew by after that. You had spent the day with Sans, eating, touring the city and watching the scars you had accumulated from the last universe disappear.

 

He took you around the city. Indeed, all the monsters and humans got along very well. There was also spontaneous dances in the streets, with monsters and humans both using soul magic to make their dancing beautiful and amazing. This universe was just so happy, you thought.

 

The place was also somehow more urban than the city in your universe- it looked like the population went up by a few million inhabitants (which the monsters were only a few hundred of) and everything was more modern.

 

Sans explained that after the monsters came to the surface, tourism boomed, and many people from all over the world joined in the dance magic craze. The city flourished because of it. He said monsters were very happy to share the skill and participate in all of the hype.

 

It wasn't long before you had to appear at the competition. It was apparently held in a different club than the one before, a larger one, with room for even more people. Sans said apparently the last one had sold out, and this one was no different. He knew that registration didn't close until an hour before, but he knew Papyrus had his heart set on competing so he bought a ticket to watch.

 

Sans took you to the club, and then to a side entrance for the contestants.

 

"well, _____, i wish you luck. i know you'll do great." He grinned half lidded at you from under his hood.

 

"Thanks, Sans. I hope your brother does well too. To be honest, I really don't care about winning or anything. But apparently I have to have fun for this to work, so ... I'll give it my best."

 

"fun is a good thing, my pal. enjoy it, and i'll see you up there. i'll also meet you back here afterwards."

 

You nodded and smiled. "Thank you again, Sans. See ya later."

 

You both turned away, and you went through the door. It was a dark hall, with pulsing neon-colored lights running the floor. It was pretty sweet looking. You followed the lights.

 

You saw a woman with a headset around the corner, holding a clipboard.

 

"Hello, and what is your name? Are you competing tonight?"

 

You smiled down at them. It was very strange to look down at her, once again, remembering you were so freaking tall. And that you would just keep getting taller.

 

"I'm ______. I am competing tonight."

 

She smiled. "Wonderful. You're one of the first competitors, too. Please follow me."

 

You gulped and followed her. You were nervous.

 

(Do not worry, _____. We have danced before. It comes naturally in this universe, just as magic does.)

 

You breathed. (You know what just to say to make me calm down, don't you?)

 

(Yes, of course.) He was amused.

 

You smiled and followed the woman. You walked past humans and monsters, all in different dance outfits. They were chattering happily, and some looked nervous, some giddy, some indifferent.

 

"This is where you will go onto the stage from. The first challenge is in half an hour from now, and you are in it."

 

"Great. I'll wait here then."

 

She nodded in understanding. "Someone will let you know when you can head on. Good luck!"

 

"Thanks!" You smiled down again.

 

She walked away, and you had a while to yourself. You mostly thought about this universe, about dancing, about life....

 

(We have what, your original fragment, your curiosity, and your anger now right?)

 

Gaster agreed.

 

(I wonder how much more we have to go. I suppose I can check...)

 

You closed your eyes and felt your soul, and tugged it out gently. You opened your eyes to see your green and gold swirling soul floating, connected by the bottom point to Gaster's. His soul was nearly complete on the left half, with seams running between the three fragments. The top point was one, then another piece along the left edge that filled almost to the middle, and then the bottom curve of the left half was the third.

 

(It appears half of myself is still missing.)

 

(Yep. But with the one from this universe will help that, for sure. This is going faster than I imagined.)

 

(It seems that way, yes. There has not been much time to rest on this journey. It is frustrating that the machine's door will not let us back to our universe, but it does lead to a faster process.)

 

You agreed.

 

You thought about this for a while. Then you remembered you were dancing soon, and your nerves acted up again. But you had this, you could do this- Gaster told you it was just as effortless as magic. He was even more powerful now, too, so it should be better.

 

A green-toned flame monster walked up to you, also with a headset.

 

"Are you ready? It is about to begin."

 

Your heart did a little flip. Oh god, it was happening.

 

(You will be fine, _____. I will be there too, do not fear.)

 

You calmed down and smiled at the feminine-sounding monster.

 

"Yes, I'm ready."

 

It smiled at you, the thin line in her flame face curving. She gestured to the hall before you, and lights lit up the walls, zooming down them. "Please, go on. We will announce you and your competitor as you come on the stage, and then the song will begin."

 

Oh boy. You could only nod.

 

You walked down the hall, admiring the lights surrounding you.

 

(We will do amazingly, ______. Do not fear. Be confident. Believe in us.)

 

Right. Gaster could dance too, after all. It wasn't just you going up there. It was both of you. And you could dance. And do some pretty sweet moves like you did last night.

 

You reached the end of the hall, and before you was the stage, lights strobing and panning all around it. Nobody was on it, but the crowd was loud with anticipation.

 

You hardly had time to think as a voice came on the speakers.

 

"HUMANS AND MONSTERS, WELCOME TO CLUB SPARK'S MONTHLY BLIND SOUL-DANCE-OFF!"

 

The crowd erupted in cheer.

 

"NOW, PLEASE WELCOME OUR FIRST TWO COMPETITORS- ON THE RIGHT, WE HAVE RUPERT!"

 

From across the stage you saw a figure emerge. A blue-skinned humanoid monster, with perky ears and a blue tuft of hair between them, with a yellow dress shirt and red suspenders, with red pants. He raised his arms, smiling brightly and jogged onto the stage The crowd cheered in response.

 

"AND ON THE LEFT..."

 

Hooo boy here it was.

 

 

"_______!"

 

You stepped onto the stage and walked out, waving, smiling. The sea of faces and lights cheered back in response.

 

Once the two of you were in the center of the stage, you smiled at each other. He had a very nice smile, the kind that could brighten your day.

 

"NOW, LET THE SONG AND FIRST DANCE BEGIN! 3..."

 

You both stepped back, facing each other, grinning.

 

"2...."

 

Your heart beat fast.

 

"1...."

 

You exhaled.

 

 

"GO!"

 

[A song began playing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uFNFoh1OGM). It had a familiar melody. It continued, and you moved to the beat, stepping to either side each time as the song grew and your magic followed. Rupert stomped his foot in response to the beat, the rest of him still. It was very quick.

 

_Poetry in your body, you got it in every way..._

 

You knew this song. You smiled, and dipped low at the end of each line, your hair covering your face. Rupert changed his stomp to fancy footwork with both feet, in a kind of Charleston style, but still kept the top of his body calm.

 

_And turn around, let me see you, wanna free you with my rhythm..._

 

You slid closer to him with each beat, eyeing him, swaying as your approached.

 

_I know you can't get enough when I turn up with my rhythm..._

 

You were feet away from him, and he was grinning back at you. You knew the drop was coming.

 

 

And it hit.

 

_Your body's poetry! Speak to me,_

_Won't you let me be your rhythm tonight?_

 

You immediately surged with light all over and felt a surge of magic, falling backwards into a kind of summersault flip.

 

_Move your body, move your body!_

 

You landed, and saw Rupert was now dancing wholly in a yellow glow, dancing in quick syncopations with his legs and moving his arms to balance his wild legs, moving forward and back across the stage. He was very, very quick and good.

 

You responded by going into a series of the graceful yet edgy sidesteps and dips, moving to the beat of the music.

 

The two of you danced this intense way way until the pace of the song changed to a new verse.

 

_Poetry in your body, got it started, it'll never end..._

 

Rupert stepped forward, and you decided to see what he had.

 

He danced even harder, his legs sprawling outward further in quick darts, his arms going with them, unbalancing and rebalancing his body. As the verse came to an end, he picked up a foot and went into a rotating spin, his leg flaring out, as he spun, one, two, three, four, five, six times, his yellow glow flaring out in rings into the distance.

 

_Your body's poetry! Speak to me,_

_Won't you let me be your rhythm tonight?_

 

The chorus returned, and you both got back into the intense dance. You began to get closer to him, zig zagging towards him in your sways.

 

_Ooh ahahah, ooh ahahahaaraah..._

 

You got close enough that you began to circle around him circling in quick spins yourself. He was confused and curious, and watched as you moved around him, but did not turn anything but his head, and continued dancing. You could feel the song about to slow.

 

_Your body's poetry, move your body for me..._

 

It changed into a slow piano chord, and you gracefully tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around twice and finally faced you, taking a dance pause from the slow music.

 

You knew exactly what to do.

 

_Your body's poetry,_

 

You leaned back.

 

_Move your body for me..._

 

You fell.

 

_... me me me me me **me mE ME** -_

 

The base dropped.

 

In a flash of light, two of Gaster's hands appeared and grabbed yours as you fell, and swung you to the side, using your falling momentum to swing you and gain velocity, and then launch you into the air. The crowd roared.

 

_Your body's poetry!_

 

You trailed gold, green, and white as you contorted through the air, sideways, your legs coming out in a kick as you spun twice in the air, before landing solidly on the ground in a crouch.

 

You looked up grinning, and saw a shocked smile on the monster's face. He took this as a challenge and danced harder to the music, even doing a sideways flip himself. He was a very energetic dancer, but you could take him.

 

From your crouch, you rocketed off the ground, kicking sideways into a whirlwind of spins and dips and sways as you danced across the stage. You glowed incredibly bright.

 

The song came to its closing chorus.

 

_Oh ahahah oh ahahahaaaraah..._

 

Rupert spun sideways, sliding closer to you as his dance grew. He smiled at you, flaring yellow as he threw out his limbs again, in an energetic form of quick, sharp movements. He then did a split, which shocked you. He rolled backwards and upside down, and pushed himself back onto his feet.

 

You felt the song begin to end, and you stood next to him, as the both of you matched your movements in the final beats. You mirrored each other, facing the audience, throwing out your arms and stepping forward until you were at the front of the stage, and the song ended.

 

You both stood there posing, your arms close to each other pointed up, the other ones pointed out, with your legs lunged out to brace yourselves.

 

The crowd roared, and as you both stood there, slightly glowing and panting, you smiled at each other.

 

He was a very nice guy, this Rupert, you thought.

 

Your thoughts were confirmed as he broke his stance and launched at you, hugging you tightly.

 

"You're such a great dancer! That was a blast, thank you!" He pulled away and smiled brightly at you.

 

"Aw man, you're amazing too! That was a ton of fun!" You laughed. "And to think I was nervous about it..."

 

He laughed, still holding your shoulders. "You have nothing to worry about, kiddo. You're golden." He smiled. "And, well, green and white too, but..." He took off his hands, and crossed his arms.

 

You cracked up. "Haha, thanks, dude. You're golden too, y'know?"

 

You both laughed at that for a while.

 

"WASN'T THAT A FANTASTIC START TO THE DANCE-OFF? GIVE THESE TWO ANOTHER ROUND OF APPLAUSE."

 

You both faced the sea of faces again and cheers erupted. It felt... very good.

 

"AND NOW, FOR THE WINNER...."

 

A drumroll started on the speakers.

 

 

 

_Ddddddddddddddddddddd......_

 

 

 

 

"AND THE WINNER IS _______!"

 

The crowd erupted in cheers again, and you swore you felt your magic amplify. Your eyes glowed, not just white, but a mix of the three colors. They whisped around your face as you stood smiling at the audience.

 

Rupert turned to you and hugged you again.

 

"Great job, _____. You earned it! Keep dancing with that much passion and you'll definitely win."

 

You laughed. "Thanks so much, Rupert!"

 

He let go, and jogged off the stage, waving and smiling to the audience.

 

You too did the same, to the same hall you entered from.

 

You breathed out.

 

(We did well.) Gaster was happy.

 

(Yeah, we did. It's so cool how I can tell I'll be safe, no matter how risky moves I try, like that falling thing? I had no idea what I was doing, and then...)

 

(... I felt like I had to conjure my hands to do that, and it worked out very well. The audience seemed to like that.)

 

(Not to mention, it felt freaking amazing to just soar like that. I felt so _badass_.)

 

(I felt that as well. This universe is incredibly interesting...)

 

(As you would say, 'indeed'.) You chuckled.

 

Gaster too laughed at that.

 

Now, all you had to do was wait for the next challenge.

 

Maybe by the end of tonight, you would have another fragment of Gaster.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you couldn't tell, Rupert is the name of the Nice Cream Guy! According to the Dancetale AU, he dances the jive. It fits him so well- I imagine he dances a lot like the second person, in the brown shirt in this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJSeJ203eDI&list=LLGD9L23LXJgAKbtj77S1wtg&index=1
> 
> Your dancing style... well, it is waltzy in some ways, but you, my friend, have got mad flipping skills somehow, as well as some good sidesteps and dips. I don't think it really belongs in a genre? But you know, you as a hybrid are used to breaking the norm.
> 
> Inspiration for your flips found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO2wM5L7IQA
> 
> Also, I've done some profile sketches of you at your various stages of Gaster-fied self. I should tell you, I labeled them as what fragment has been added, so the first fragment, the original fragment is revealed as....  
> Kindness.
> 
> But yeah. This is just my art style and interpretation of the reader, nothing rigid.  
> http://words-to-escape-by.deviantart.com/
> 
> Expect these chapters to take longer.... dancing is, well, a bit of a challenge. But I do know what will happen in the rest of this world, so feel free to theorize. I really enjoy seeing what you guys think!
> 
> And for all of you thirsty readers, bless your patient souls. Stay thirsty, my friendos. One day... ;)


	45. With the Help of Magic

You went back into the halls behind the stage, where several monsters and humans were standing. Apparently, they had all seen your performance, and rushed to congratulate you.

 

You shook their hands and said thanks to all of them, a bit in a whiplash from all the attention.

 

But nothing could compare to what you heard next.

 

"________! YOU WON THE FIRST ROUND!"

 

You spun to barely see Papyrus before he grabbed your entire being in a hug, and began spinning you as he lifted you off the ground. Even though you were tall, he was still taller.

 

You laughed as he spun you around, and then set you back down.

 

"CONGRATULATIONS, MY NEW FRIEND! YOU ARE AMAZING AT DANCING!"

He beamed down at you with his skeleton teeth. He wore a dressy outfit with a button down white shirt with the top button unclasped, a red rose in the pocket, and black dress pants, with sharp black dance shoes.

 

"Haha, thanks Papyrus! It was really fun. Do you compete soon?"

 

"WHY YES I DO!" He put his hand on his chest and posed dramatically. You laughed- he just looked so incredibly .... spiffy.

 

You grinned back at him. "I know you'll rock the competition, since you are a fantastic dancer."

 

He took your hand in his own boney one and twirled you, and you giggled.

 

When he was finished, he said, "WHY THANK YOU, ______. I WILL SEE YOU LATER THEN!" He released your hand. "FOR NOW, I MUST GO."

 

He rushed dramatically towards the hall you came from, and you found a seat in the waiting hall. A human man sat down beside you. He was dressed in a hoodie and sweatpants, and his dark hair tufted up in the front.

 

"Hey, you're the one who won the first round, right? Those were some sick moves, I gotta say."

 

You smiled at him. "Thanks!"

 

"Though, I gotta ask, are you human or monster? I'd guess human, but... sorry if I sound insensitive." He looked like he felt guilty for asking.

 

"Hmm...." You considered how to answer.

"I'm kinda both? It's ... hard to explain."

 

His eyes opened wide. "Oh, man, are you mixed race? I had met a few of them, kids of humans and monsters. None have been as old as you, though."

 

You stared at him. Humans and monsters could have kids? Just how long ago had the monsters broken the barrier here?!

 

The green flame monster in the headset walked up to him, and tapped him, nodding.

 

"Ah, is it time already?" He stood up.

"Thanks for the chat, _____, but now I gotta go. I hope you do well in your next challenge!"

 

You smiled a bit blankly at him. "Thanks! You too!"

 

He waved and followed the monster away.

 

You sat there in a daze. You had no idea humans and monsters could have kids. Well, you had seen human and monster couples in your universe, so... that was good news for them! But in your universe, the monsters had only come to the surface a few months ago. Probably not enough time for a child to be born.

 

(.... I had no idea such a thing was possible, but it appears it is.) Gaster seemed surprised as well.

 

You got even more curious about things now. How... did monsters and humans ... even...

 

(....) Gaster too was curious, you could tell. But you could feel a kind of... awkward tension rise at the thought. Your cheeks... grew slightly hot.

 

(Well.) You interrupted both of your thoughts. (Let us think about this another time.)

You didn't want you to get flustered or distracted for this competition, as curious as you (and he) were.

 

You waited, trying your best to just think about dancing as you waited for the dance contest to end.

 

A screen in the wall portrayed the current dance contest between Papyrus and the human who had sat down beside you. Papyrus danced a kind of latin dance, and held the rose between his teeth, and the human guy danced in some sort of modern-hip-hop combination. They were both really good, Papyrus' orange magic and the human's light blue lighting up the stage.

You noticed too that the human could do things with his soul's magic, the same as any monster could. Interesting.

 

After a while of intense dancing, Papyrus was declared the winner, and the two were off the stage. Before you saw him again, a hand touched your shoulder. You turned to see the human woman with the headset and clipboard from earlier.

 

"You're on next! Please, follow me."

 

You did, and you went to the other hall, the one on the right side.

 

You passed the human guy, who looked really happy, even though he lost.

 

"Good job, dude! You did really well." You gave him a thumbs up.

 

"Thank you! Good luck to you too! I'll be out in the crowd from now on, so I'll watch you win this thing, I'm sure." He grinned.

 

You laughed, and continued on.

 

The woman gestured to the hall, and you knew you had to continue alone from here. You smiled at her and thanked her, and continued onwards, watching the hall light up with the strobing colors.

 

(Here we go again...)

 

(I wonder who we will face?)

 

You stood in the entrance to the stage, once again seeing the crowd, but from a different side.

 

"IS EVERYONE READY FOR ROUND THREE?"

 

The crowd roared in response. The lights flashed.

 

"WELL THEN, LET'S BEGIN. THIS TIME TO OUR RIGHT WE HAVE ______ RETURNING!"

 

You ran onto the stage, waving and smiling. You then faced the other entrance.

 

"AND ON OUR LEFT IS SAM!"

 

From the corridor emerged a human woman, with dark skin and dreadlocks pulled back in a long ponytail. She wore a similar outfit to you, a blue tank with purple dye stains on the bottom, and black capri pants, with blue-striped hip-hop shoes. She was also just as tall as you, you noticed.

 

She jogged out, waving, and upon arriving at her spot, looked at you, with curiosity and an intense smiling stare. She was beautiful- intimidatingly so.

 

"WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET THE SONG BEGIN! IN 3..."

 

You and Sam stepped back.

 

"2..."

 

You closed your eyes and focused.

 

"1..."

 

"GO!"

 

[A song softly began.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_-a9nVZYjk) It's tones were light, and electronic. You didn't move, only opened your eyes and pulsed your magic to the beat. Your glow began to show with the beat.

 

Your opponent began to make sharp movements with her arms, stepping in a square to the beat.

 

The song built.

 

You started moving, stepping forward, your arms both going out, snapping with the beat.

 

Sam's movements became sharper, and bigger.

 

_Da dadadadaah..._

 

The song was growing, and it was clear it was going to drop soon.

 

You skipped to the side, and Gaster summoned a hand that snapped with yours. You stepped to the other side, and another hand appeared and snapped.

 

As the beat progressed and grew stronger, each snap created a new hand. Sam's glow appeared, a marbled dark blue and purple, surrounding her, ghosting behind her edgy frame.

 

It grew louder.

 

You began to sway, the hands snapping and swaying with your body, in a disorganized array around you.

 

Sam's glow intensified, and her eyes began to glow her colors. She pulsed with the beat, and you saw what appeared to be rings of blue and purple light float beside her.

 

You grinned.

 

The beat quickened, and you moved faster, she moved faster, and...

 

The base dropped.

 

You posed, one arm pointing straight up, one down. The hands surrounding you rose to form a kind of arc above you, all of them shooting beams of light, radiating into the ceiling and crowd, strobing with the beat.

 

The crowd went wild.

 

You contorted your body into a backwards flip, and crouched down, launching into another flip.

 

The purple rings surrounding Sam were now lines up in a grid around her body, each of them reverberating to the beat, sending pulses of rings outwards as she did incredible moves.

 

She slid to the side, the rings following her, and went low into a breakdance, her long limbs flaring out in wild, yet controlled angles.

 

The tone of the music changed to a harsh dubstep grind, and she stood up grinning, and went into a robotic series of movements. Her rings responded to the dark tones, and sent echoes of themselves in either direction, shooting 30 feet across the stage, even reaching you. She was like a light cannon.

 

The song broke again into the triumphant chorus, and you stepped forward. You crouched, and all of the hands matched yours, touching the ground. You then pushed off, and flew into a forward kick flip, trailing your colors, and the array of hands followed you.

You landed, and one hand grabbed yours, which you pulled to your chest, and it spun you, your tight momentum moving you faster and faster.

 

It released you, and you launched into a sideways spin, flipping several times before landing again.

 

Sam eyed you with a determined grin. The song calmed, and she approached you, stepping softly yet sharply closer, her rings gone.

 

The hands around you disappeared. You too got closer to her.

 

The song began to build again, and the two of you began moving in a circle together. You moved with sways and she moved with quick thrusts, but somehow you both worked very well together.

 

The song grew, and the two of you stepped closer and closer, mirroring each other.

 

She smiled, and you smiled back.

 

As the base dropped, you both reached out and pushed against each other's hands.

 

The push threw you both back in a magical surge, you both going into a backwards flip.

 

You landed, and held out your arm. One of Gaster's hands appeared, three feet from yours, in the same position. You moved your arm forward and down, and the hand touched the ground. You thrust forward, feeling the stability from it like a longer arm, and rocked over it in a high kick.

 

At the top of your kick another hand grabbed your ankle, and swung you from it like a pivot, your body swinging upright 15 feet in the air.

 

You soared through the air, spinning and whirling, pulsing in gold, green and white as the crowd roared. You fell to the floor, and landed with a thud, stable, somehow.

 

As the song ended, you and Sam both stopped moving and posed, and faced the audience, your two hands and eyes pulsing to the beat, her rings and eyes doing the same.

 

And by the time the song ended, the crowd was screaming.

 

You laughed, and broke from your pose, panting, to face Sam. She smiled back at you, and walked up to you and embraced you.

 

"Ah, that was amazing! You are so talented!" She had a melodically deep voice.

 

"Please," you said, still panting a bit, "You were much cooler." You released each other from the hug. "Those rings you have? They're like, technicolor music cannons! They're so cool!"

 

She laughed. "Thank you! Your hands, with the holes in the palms... also were incredible! That light show you did in the beginning- killer."

 

"Aw, thanks!" You felt a kind of awe, being complemented by someone so cool and beautiful.

 

"ANOTHER STUNNING ROUND! GIVE IT UP AGAIN FOR _____ AND SAM!"

 

The crowd roared again.

 

"YOU'RE ALL PROBABLY WONDERING WHO THIS ROUND'S WINNER IS, SO...."

 

The drumroll began, and the crowd made an anxious roar.

 

"THE WINNER IS..."

 

 

 

_ddddddddddddddddddddddd...._

 

 

 

 

"...______!"

 

The crowd roared again, and you looked out and smiled. You honestly were surprised, you thought Sam was incredible.

 

She reached and shook your hand with both of hers, still smiling.

 

"Congrats, _____! You're on fire!"

 

You held her hands with both of yours. "Thank you so much, Sam! For dancing, for everything."

 

The two of you separated, and walked into your corridors, smiling and waving.

 

(It's amazing,) you thought, (How much stuff we can do with the help of magic.)

 

(It is. I think magic and dance has done a lot for this universe. Both humans and monsters seem very united here.)

 

You nodded. (Yeah. Though, we aren't seeing all of this world. It could be worse outside of the dance areas.)

 

Gaster agreed.

 

You once again emerged into the rooms with the other monsters and humans. Again, they all rushed to congratulate you, and you thanked them all, and went to a quiet seat to sit down, and closed your eyes.

 

It was nice, all of this attention, but it sure was taxing. Your body felt a bit tired and sore, but the endorphins made it disappear while dancing.

 

 

Now, until the next competition, you waited.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, "these dance chapters will take a long time" I said. I have no self control.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! I freaking love this song, although the reader did not know it herself.
> 
> And, yeah. Jus throwing out that "monster-human child" thing. Gotta throw in some fun things to question for the reader and Gast, after all. ;)
> 
> And almost 300 kudos and 4500 hits! Woo!
> 
> And shoutout to TheFlyingPancake12YT on deviantart (forgive me, I do not know their username on AO3), who did some awesome fanart of our beloved reader!  
> http://theflyingpancake12yt.deviantart.com/art/Lineart-for-piece-by-piece-661315678


	46. Snacktime Break

It wasn't long before Papyrus found you again.

 

"______! ANOTHER SPECTACULAR PERFORMANCE, I MUST SAY!"

 

He dashed up to you, and although you were sitting, you somehow found yourself whisked into his arms and once again spun wildly around, giggling.

 

"Thanks, Papyrus!" He set you down.

 

"IT IS NO PROBLEM TO COMPLEMENT YOU, ______. THOUGH I MUST SAY, YOUR MAGIC... REMINDS ME OF SOMEONE."

 

You pondered if Papyrus would remember Gaster, or if he even knew him.

 

(I knew Papyrus in our universe, though perhaps he does not remember me....)

 

You remembered the Undyne from last universe and her breakdown as she was forced to remember Gaster. You didn't really want that to happen to him, so you just let it go.

 

"Huh... that's odd," you replied.

 

"IT IS QUITE PERPLEXING, YES. THOUGH WE DO HAVE SOME TIME BEFORE EITHER OF US COMPETES AGAIN, I BELIEVE. YOU PROBABLY HAVE LONGER THAN I, CONSIDERING YOU WON TWICE."

 

You huffed. "Yeah, I guess that's true. I don't know what I'll do until then, though. I actually feel pretty beat from all the dancing..." You rubbed your shoulder, feeling it ache.

 

Papyrus frowned. "THAT WILL NOT DO AT ALL, HUMAN. I WILL MESSAGE SANS. HE WILL BRING SOMETHING FOR YOU, I AM SURE."

 

You looked up at him. "Are you sure? I don't want to make him come all the way here from the audience, especially since he probably isn't allowed back here..."

 

"NONSENSE. SANS MAY BE LAZY, BUT HE HAS A WAY WITH... GOING PLACES."

 

Right. He could teleport.

 

Papyrus pulled out his phone and texted. Once he was done, the two of you sat down on the chairs you were sitting on earlier and chatted. Papyrus apparently loved competing in these dances- they were ways of proving his greatness to the world.

 

You enjoyed talking with Papyrus. He struck you as very similar to the one you met in your universe- loud, chipper, and exuberantly enthusiastic for... life. The conversations with him both made you feel alive and exhausted.

 

In a short while, you saw out of the corner of your eye a blue flash, and suddenly Sans appeared out of thin air, posing in a lunge, with one hand straight up, and one clutching a paper bag.

 

It was so like this universe that his teleportation be based on cool poses.

 

(Is it bad that I really, really hope it isn't a burger and fries?) you asked Gaster.

 

(.... I too hope it is not those.) Gaster felt slightly discomforted.

 

Sans walked over to the two of you, holding out the bag to you.

 

"someone order some _soul_ -food?"

 

You grinned. You weren't sure if that was a pun, given that monster food actually healed your soul, but you happily accepted the bag anyways. "Thanks, Sans. Also, liked the way you showed up. Very im- _pose_ -ing."

 

He grinned at you from under his hood. "what can I say? i'm _move_ d."

 

You laughed and opened the bag. Inside was ... a hot dog and fries. At least it wasn't a burger.

 

Sans sat down beside you, on your opposite side from Papyrus.

 

"those were some great moves out there, kid, i have to _hand_ it to ya."

 

You tried to smile as you inhaled the hotdog. Suddenly, you were pretty hungry.

 

Papyrus grew frustrated beside you two. "IF YOU TWO ARE JUST GOING TO MAKE AWFUL JOKES, I WILL GO TALK TO OTHERS."

 

You grinned up at Papyrus from your hotdog. "Aw, Papyrus, don't _flip_ out on us. We just make these dancing jokes for _kicks_."

 

His face contorted in rage, and you and Sans laughed in your low tones as he launched off the chair and stormed away.

 

Once the two of you were done laughing, you were able to finish your hotdog. Sans just sat there beside you, looking at all the dancers talking and milling around in the room.

 

"are you having fun yet?"

 

You swallowed, and reached in the bag for some fries. "Yeah. This universe is an absolute blast, I can see why this fragment of Gaster's ended up here. It loves fun."

 

Sans sank back in the chair further, and his hood obscured a lot of his face. "the gaster i knew was usually pretty happy, but always held some sort of ... heavy sadness. he never spoke of it, but you could tell it was there, when he danced. his waltz... was elegant and vibrant, but always... darker than it should have been."

 

You munched on some fries. Gaster, inside of you, was filled with a distant melancholy.

 

You didn't know whether or not you should say anything, to Gaster or Sans.

 

"i hope that you are able to get the fragment from this universe soon. if there is one thing gaster needs to be able to be complete, it is the ability to have fun."

 

You smiled sadly and nodded. This part of Gaster also needed the rest of him to be able to be kept in check.

 

With that thought, you felt Gaster reach out to seek his fragment again. It seemed to be hanging out in the audience of the club, watching the dance going on currently. It sensed your presence, and seemed to emotionally laugh again. But this time it just stayed where it was, and seemed to stare back at you, until Gaster closed the connection.

 

(Well, at least it is close. This will make it easier to find once we are done.)

 

You agreed with Gaster.

 

You and Sans stayed and chatted for a while longer, you finishing your fries. The two of you exchanged even more puns, and you giggled back and forth. The ache in your body was gone, and you felt much more energetic and determined to dance.

 

It wasn't long before the woman with the clipboard found you again.

 

"_____, are you ready for your next challenge?" She grinned warmly at you.

 

You stood. "As ready as I'll ever be!" You turned back to Sans, who was still sitting.

 

"Well, guess I'll see you later, Sans. Thanks for the food again. And the company was a nice _bone_ -us, too."

 

He chuckled, and stood. "no prob, kid. see you on the stage."

 

In a blur of movement, he brought his fists together, then turned his body, and rotated his shoulders, and thrust out with his arms, and in a blue flash he disappeared.

 

You turned back to the woman. She was staring where Sans had been, looking dumbfounded.

 

"My goodness, you know Sans?! He's one of my favorite dancers."

 

You nodded. "He is pretty good."

 

She managed to recollect herself and smiled back at you. "Please, follow me this way."

 

You followed her to the hall to the right of the stage.

 

"I believe you know what to do by now, so good luck!" She winked at you.

 

"Thanks! I'll do my best." You walked down the familiar hall, and the lights escorted you through.

 

You once again waited at the entrance to the stage. You didn't really have nerves anymore. You were just determined, and excited for the next challenge.

 

"IS EVERYONE READY FOR THE NEXT ROUND?!"

 

The crowd roared in response.

 

"ALRIGHT THEN! ON OUR RIGHT, RETURNING FOR YET AGAIN ANOTHER DANCE, IS _____!"

 

You ran out onto the stage, and instead of your normal smile and wave, you dashed as fast as you could, and then sidestepped, going into a sideways kicking flip. You landed with a thud, and then smiled and waved.

 

"QUITE THE ENTRANCE, I MUST SAY! BUT WHAT WILL OUR NEXT CHALLENGER DO IN RESPONSE? HUMANS AND MONSTERS, PLEASE WELCOME A SPECIAL GUEST...."

 

The lights flickered, and the crowd quieted in anticipation.

 

"..... THE SAVIOR FROM THE SURFACE, THE HERO OF MONSTERKIND..."

 

 

Oh man.

 

 

 

".... FRISK DREEMURR!"

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Think you can take on Frisk? ;P
> 
> And we've done it, folks! 300 kudos and counting (and I'm mindblown from all the love and support you guys have given me, bless you all)
> 
> Also, check out this seriously amazing image of our reader by shandristhehedgehog on DA!  
> http://orig13.deviantart.net/98fc/f/2017/035/e/8/__by_shandristhehedgehog-daxw1n0.png
> 
> Also, as a heads up, I've got a lot on my plate these few weeks coming up, so I will be unable to post as much as I have been. I want to finish this universe's stuff soon, though, sooooo.... we'll see.


	47. May I Have This Dance?

You could hardly hear as the crowd roared so loud. A small child, half your height, with a purple and blue striped ballet outfit stepped onto the stage. They looked just like the Frisk you had seen on tv in your universe, except... with a red tutu.

 

They stepped forward slowly, and then pointed their toe in their ballet slipper, raising their arms gracefully in a ballet pose. Then they began running gracefully forward and leapt into the air, their front leg coming forward, their back extending into a split mid-air, and bent their whole upper torso backwards, their arms in a graceful loop above their head, landing softly beside you. They bowed, and smiled up at you.

 

Holy. Shit.

 

 

The crowd was still deafeningly loud.

 

"ARE YOU ALL READY FOR THIS ROUND TO BEGIN?!"

 

The crowd surged again in volume, and you flinched, still smiling at the small child next to you. The two of you faced the audience with hopeful looks.

 

"THEN LET IT START IN 3..."

 

The two of you stepped away. Well, you stepped. Frisk leapt gracefully away. The audience quieted.

 

"2...."

 

You inhaled.

 

"1..."

 

You exhaled. The audience was silent.

 

"BEGIN!"

 

[The song softly started](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEmDcUQE_8E), the sound of ambient trill enveloping the room. Then, the beat started.

 

The child before you began hopping, both of their feet coming together in alternating ballet fashion on the ground. They grinned effortlessly.

 

You decided to start side stepping and dipping, and began to clap. The song's beat sounded like them, after all. The audience picked it up.

 

The hopping child before you began to glow. A brilliant red emanated from their being, and with each hop it grew brighter.

 

_Aaaaaaah, aaaaahhhh..._

 

_How could you know, how could you know,_

_That those were my eyes?_

 

Frisk landed, and raised a foot over their head with their arms, lowered it, and pushed off into a leap towards you.

 

You sidestepped, grinning. Was this going to be a game of chase? You swayed into a fall, and at the last moment shot out your arm, and rocked towards the kid, who was still bounding towards you.

 

_It's like they know I'm looking from the outside..._

 

You came up within feet of each other, both grinning madly at each other.

 

_And creepin' to the door, it's like they know..._

 

You swayed to the left, and Frisk leapt to your right.

 

_Now they're comin'!_

 

Frisk spun, one leg bent in, arms curled in an o.

 

_Out from the shadows,_

 

_To take me to the core because they know..._

_That I shut this down!_

 

You began to glow white as you proceeded to whirl around in lunges, making up for your lack of speed by sheer power in your movements. You eyed Frisk, who was still spinning, but smiling at you. You smiled back as you fell into a backwards flip.

 

_You understand they got a plan for us,_

_I bet you didn't know that I was dangerous._

 

You could feel the song about to drop, so you crouched low on both feet. Frisk eyed you curiously and also crouched, opposite of you.

 

_I bet you didn't know that I was dangerous!_

 

 

The song broke into deep base beats, and you launched forward into the air. You tumbled forward into a summersault, and landed with a thud. You rode out the beats, thrusting your arms and elbows in the air. Each thrust sent ghosted white glowing fists in its direction, fading as they left you.

 

Frisk leapt towards you, legs stretching into a split, grinning. They came down in a twirl, their red glow pooling outward in 20-ft-radius spirals, much of it crashing into you.

 

The two of you smiled at each other. This was a real, competitive challenge.

 

_DANGER._

 

The beats broke out again, and you swayed your way closer to the kid, continuing to thrust out, creating dissipating ghosts of your hands.

 

Frisk also elegantly trotted towards you, hopping and leaping, with a few spins that sent red flaring from each movement.

 

As the two of you neared each other, you arched backwards and upside down like a bridge, and Frisk gracefully slid under you, grinning, their red magic washing under you.

 

You came up from the handstand, and flipped back on your legs, spinning to face Frisk.

 

_How could they know, how could they know?_

 

Frisk went into a series of leaps and twirls, dancing around you. You followed gleefully, playing along, appearing to try and catch them. You could, of course, just summon a hand and grab them, but this was just fun.

 

_Here they come! Yeah here they come!_

_Out of the shadows..._

 

Frisk giggled as you chased them around the stage. The audience still clapped to the beat, and cheered as you not-so-narrowly missed catching them with your hands moving to the beat.

 

_Because they know..._

_That I shut this down!_

 

Frisk launched into a leap over you, and time seemed to stop as they grinned down at you, eyes and body glowing red.

 

You bent to watch as they soared over you, and as they landed. You stopped chasing them, and watched as they continued dancing away. They looked back at you, as if saying, "why aren't you chasing me?"

 

_I've...._

_... gotta get outta here..._

 

You instead back away, smiling, having a plan in mind.

 

_Slip down..._

_... into the dark...._

 

You and Frisk continued dancing away from each other, the gap between you increasing to most of the stage.

 

_I've..._

_gotta get outta here..._

 

The song simmered out, and you felt a different kind of glow grow around you. You turned away from Frisk, feeling magic condense around you. Your vision grew brighter, but everything grew darker.

 

_Slip down..._

_Into the dark._

 

You smiled.

The beat picked up.

 

Dark.

 

_You understand they got a plan for us?_

_I bet you didn't know that I was dangerous._

 

Darker.

 

You turned to see Frisk glowing red across from you.

 

_It must be fate I found a place for us,_

_I bet you didn't know that I was dangerous!_

 

Yet **darker**.

 

You waited for the beat to drop, and then threw your arms behind you. The darkness surrounding you rocketed you forward. Frisk too was shooting towards you in a boosted leap, a stream of red behind them like a jet contour.

 

You flipped forward and landed, the darkness around you shimmering with your white, gold, and green glow. Frisk too landed, maybe 15 feet away from you, in perfect gentle form.

 

The two of you began moving at each other, Frisk in delicate toe points shooting red beams, you in elaborate sways with arm thrusts, sending marbled colors echoing towards them from your hands.

 

_DANGER._

 

The two of you then went into your signature moves, you breaking into a series of flips and contortions, they twirling and leaping beautifully. The two of you wove streaks of light in and out of each other as you danced in a sort of asymmetric sync.

 

_Bada ba... bada ba ba ba ba ba..._

 

The song grooved out, and the two of you combined your movements with claps, and your weave grew closer, and closer.

 

Eventually, Frisk was close enough that you managed to catch them. You grabbed them by the waist as they giggled, and you sat them (with strength that you didn't have) on your shoulders. You then proceeded to clap with them to the rest of the song.

 

The audience roared and clapped fiercely along until the song ended, and by the time it did, you and Frisk were laughing and cheering so hard that you were having a hard time standing upright.

 

The audience cheered for a long while after that, and you set Frisk down on the ground. They were 4 feet tall, maybe. Your sense of height was so messed up now that you were huge.

 

 _"Hehe, thanks, _____! That was a lot of fun!"_ they signed, you still understanding their words somehow.They hugged you waist as you laughed. You hugged them back.

 

"Aw, thanks Frisk! I'm honored to dance with you- you were incredible! I had a blast too!"

 

You picked them up with your arms and spun them in a hug, to which they squealed happily at. You heard a resounding "aww" from the audience, and you gently set them back down, grinning widely.

 

"WHAT A FANTASTIC DANCE THAT WAS, EVERYONE! THAT WILL BE ONE TO REMEMBER!"

 

The audience roared in response.

 

"NOW, FOR THE WINNER....."

 

You grinned outwards at the crowd. They were all chittering as the drumroll began.

 

_ddddddddddddddddddddd_

 

You thought, in a brief moment, that you didn't care in the slightest if you won. That this experience- this dancing- was enough of a reward- with all these amazing people.

 

"AND THE WINNER IS FRISK!!!"

 

The audience erupted in cheers. You too erupted into a scream of joy as you picked Frisk up again into a whirl of a hug, both of you still glowing slightly from the dance, trailing red, green, gold, and white in a spiral.

 

Frisk giggled as you set them down.

 

"Way to go, champ! I know you'll win so hard you'll knock the socks off the rest of the dancers."

 

Frisk's grin was ear-to-ear.

"Thanks, _____! I'll _sock_ it to them." They winked at you as they signed.

 

Heh.

"Just be sure that you don't beat them too hard. Losing by a lot _socks_."

 

Frisk giggled, but the two of you knew that your time was up. Once again you both hugged, this time more gently, and left for your separate corridors.

 

You waved to the cheering audience as you left, feeling quite pleased.

 

You entered into the corridor, and were escorted out of the back halls by one of the attendants in headsets. You got a lot of congratulations for your amazing dance from a lot of contestants, including one from an overly-enthused tall skeleton, who was sure to tell you how amazing and great the human Frisk was at ballet. Unfortunately, you were ushered faster than he could talk somehow, and your conversation was cut short.

 

You found yourself at the exit, and saw a short skeleton with a hood over his head standing there.

 

"ah, you made it. sweet." He walked up to you, peering up from under his hood.

 

"Hell yeah! What a blast, too." You sighed in joy.

 

His grin widened. "glad to hear you got a _kick_ out of it."

 

You smirked and laughed a bit. "Already used, but still good."

 

Sans laughed at that, and the two of you walked down the hall away from the contestant entrance.

 

"any word on Gaster's fragment now that you competed in the contest and had fun?"

 

Oh. Right.

 

You felt Gaster reach out to sense, and indeed there it was, waiting for you at the end of this hall. It sensed you and laughed, a bit stronger than it used to. You were a bit unnerved.

 

"Yep, it's here alright. It's waiting at the end of this hall."

 

"great. and do you know what-"

 

The fragment moved.

 

"Shit." You walked faster, Sans stopping mid sentence, not bothering to keep up with you.

 

"something up?"

 

The fragment moved steadily away, gaining speed.

 

(This is not good.)

 

(No kidding, Gast. I'm gonna run.)

 

You broke into a sprint, trying to make up for lost distance that was steadily gaining.

 

"Sorry, Sans, it's running! I gotta get it!" You shouted.

 

"k. i'll keep up with you, keep going." His voice echoed down the hall.

 

You sprinted. You were faster than you had ever moved before, racing through the neon-lit hall, but still not fast enough to catch up with it. It only progressed as fast as you did, keeping you about 30 feet away at all times. It was still laughing, emotionally.

 

You felt a bit of malice rise from you.

 

You continued chasing it, and as you rounded the corner towards the elevator, you saw it.

 

It was the young form of Gaster, smiling wildly at you, hand in front of its mouth as if it was just the funniest thing to run from you.

 

You stared angrily at it as you gained on it. But just as you were about 10 feet away, it shot to the left, through the door of a closed elevator, and you felt it descend.

 

"Fuck!"

 

You slammed the elevator down button. Your patience was drawing thin. So was Gaster's.

 

It was like your angers were feeding off of each other.

 

As you heard a ding, the elevator doors opened, and you rushed inside as soon as you could fit. You slammed the ground button, feeling the fragment steadily sink in a slow, controlled manner, as if it was in an elevator car itself.

 

(This freaking fragment is playing with us. Not a fan.)

 

(Nor I. We have both lost our patience for it.)

 

(We couldn't have. We're still chasing it. Still playing its game.)

 

(Correct. It seems to like these games.)

 

(I fucking _hate_ these games.)

 

(I can tell.)

 

You growled and stared at your distorted metallic reflection in the elevator door. You were glowing white, your eyes flaring wildly. Your left eye was wide open in irritation, your right narrowed in anger. You looked kinda wild.

 

Despite it being cool, you just grew angrier.

 

You forgot to breathe until the doors dinged open again. You could feel the fragment slowly leave the building from the lobby, and you rushed out after it. You got curious looks from all the occupants of the lobby, but nothing deterred you now.

 

You raced out, and both you and the fragment picked up speed. Ahead of you on the sidewalk slid the small form of gaster, it still watching you as it phased through person after person on the street.

 

You, unfortunately, had to dodge them.

 

You bobbed and weaved, not even saying sorry or excuse me. You had no patience left. You didn't touch anyone; you barely even touched the ground except to pivot in a new direction.

 

The fragment turned and veered across the street of cars, through the cars. Nobody noticed it, no cars slammed breaks. Like the others, it seemed only you could see it.

 

You made it to the crosswalk, which still had a red hand blaring from the other side. You quickly looked left and right at the armada of cars.

 

"AaauuughghHHH!!!" You didn't have time for this, and also didn't have a wish to die.

 

But as you stood there glaring at the busy street, you saw the fragment from the other side of the road stop and look at you. It laughed again, and smiled sweetly at you.

 

Your mind was buzzing and almost numb.

 

Not a second after the cars halted at the intersection, you bolted right for it. It shot backwards, and into the park behind it. You followed pursuit.

 

You put all of your effort into a thought.

 

(( **Stop RUNNING!** )) You mentally yelled in its direction.

 

It hesitated, and you continued for it, dodging a few park patrons.

 

You saw it standing in the center of a circular plaza, eyeing you curiously, with a smile.

 

"(Heh, ok.)" It spoke in a childish tinny voice.

 

You neared it, and slowed down a bit as you got to five feet from it. You were panting, and very, very angry.

 

"The FUCK, fragment? Why did you run?! I've had a good 'ol time dancing for your amusement." You raged at it with your actual voice. Of course, nobody was around you anymore, after seeing your probably crazed expression, and seeing you run like a mad person.

 

It chuckled. "(You clearly haven't had enough fun, though. Stay a while in this universe, it could do you some good.)"

 

You stared at it with fury. "What would do me some good is you fusing with the rest of me and not messing with me anymore!" You seethed a bit quieter, your voice laced with venom. It was also deeper- you felt your own consciousness and Gaster's start to merge into one.

 

It smiled innocently, and took a step back.

 

"(Nah!)"

 

It skirted away, and your arm shot out and magic crackled along it.

 

But... nothing happened.

 

Gaster was confused.

(My magic... it didn't work!)

 

You were angry and frustrated like him. Your other arm shot out, but other than glowing, nothing happened.

 

"having trouble?"

 

You spun to see Sans standing there, with a confused expression.

 

"My magic isn't working!" you yelled. Your voice was low and loud.

 

His pinpricks vanished. "holy shit, it is you." His expression flickered a bit and he pulled out his phone. "don't worry, g, i've got something to help ya."

 

Before him appeared a ... boombox. It was about three feet wide by a foot high. He grabbed it by the handle and set it down.

 

"your kind of magic doesn't work here. only dance magic. so, you'll need a tune."

 

You spun to see the fragment still standing there doing nothing but watching with an amused grin.

 

"Great, play it then." You felt your body tense.

 

(_____, may I... have this dance?)

 

(What.... do you mean?) You were confused.

 

Gaster, under all of both your anger, was slightly timid somehow.

 

(I... have an idea.)

 

 

You drew your mouth into a tight, small smile.

 

(Do it, Gast. Get 'im.)

 

You stood in preparation, and as you did, [the music began](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAP3c_L_kv8).

 

It had a haunting melody and a fast beat.

 

Gaster summoned hands. One grabbed your right hand, and another went to your waist.

 

(What?...) You were surprised.

 

(Trust me. Go with it.) He was a bit nervous too.

 

The song broke out in electronic beats, and the tones rushed through you. You felt yourself pulled into a kind of fast-paced whirling waltz. You danced like you were part of a duet (which you were), but your feet matched your own quick steps intrinsic to your edgy style.

 

You whirled wildly around. The melody of the song broke out, and you began to streak white magic wherever you went. Gaster's hands were gentle yet guided you effortlessly into the waltz style. You saw the fragment watch you with a kind of wonder-filled expression, and come a bit closer.

 

You sent feelings of understanding of his idea to Gaster, and he mentally nodded back to you.

 

You began dancing in an arc, twirling as you went. You even fit in some dipping sways and slight flips as you went. You did, however, notice that the magic trail you made was still there, and was steadily following you in a wide ring around the small form of Gaster's fragment.

 

Gaster's smooth hand glided you through movement after movement, you swaying and gliding effortlessly to the fast beat.

 

You watched as Gaster's fragment looked at you wide-eyed, as if this was something amazing. It didn't notice as the ring of glowing white neared completion.

 

You quickly approached the other end of the ring, and the fragment realized what was happening. It bolted upwards into the sky.

 

You completed the ring, and with a flash, it sealed and launched upwards. Gaster and you continued your lightning-fast duet, pulsing more and more magic into the ring that was gaining on the fragment.

 

You watched from below, your head craned but your body moving, as the ring shrank and pulsed, and a huge glowing hand formed around it, with the ring as the palm.

 

It opened and closed around the form of the fragment, and pulled it back down to the park's plaza, where you were now being perpetually twirled with your arm above.

 

You watched as the hand enveloping the fragment held it, Gaster's tiny head popping out from between the index finger and thumb. You were still spinning, but then Gaster released you.

 

You stopped to the beat, and came down on two feet with a thud.

 

You leapt, falling into a forwards flip as you soared.

 

As you righted yourself and fell towards the fragment, his eyes grew wide.

 

The hand holding him disappeared, and you tackled him right out of the air, falling into a roll on the ground.

 

Once you rolled out all your momentum, like clockwork, the song ended. You sat there in a ball, clutching the tiny Gaster to your chest.

 

You peeled him off of you, holding him firmly by the shoulders, staring into his wide, expressionless eyes as you panted.

 

You took a moment to both stare at each other.

 

He then proceeded to burst into laughter, and you quickly followed.

 

And then you remembered how angry you were, and immediately stopped and glared.

 

"Enough."

 

He stopped, and his smile faded.

 

"It can't be all fun and games. At least, not yet. You can live a happy life, in your full form, back in your universe." You stared intently at him.

"Come with us."

 

You both stared at each other for a while.

 

Finally, he gave you a small, sad smile.

 

It looked... a bit heartbreaking.

 

"(....Fine. Just... promise me something.)"

 

You nodded.

 

"(Promise that you'll stay in my life. You make life fun. I need more of that.)"

 

You felt your eyebrows knot in confusion. What did he mean by that...?

 

But then you remembered that you needed this part of him, no matter what. That he needed this part of him, no matter what.

 

"I will."

 

He smiled up at you softly, and in a blink, disappeared to be replaced by a shard of white soul, floating in the air.

 

You tugged out your soul, and watched as the fragment and the rest of Gaster neared each other. You gently tugged back, and...

 

It struck.

 

 

Joy, freedom, whim, amusement, exuberance, and happiness washed through you. It was like a combination of eating your favorite food, riding a roller coaster, the feeling of dancing, and winning the lottery all combined in one wave.

 

You just lied back on the pavement and closed your eyes. You felt your body tingle, and stretch, and alter. Your face shifted.

 

You sighed.

 

 

(As much difficulty as this fragment gave us, it... does feel good to have back.)

 

 

Gaster was... radiating joy of his own. It was warm. There was also something else there. Something simmering. Warmer than the joy, even. But you couldn't place it. Neither could he.

 

 

You agreed.

 

 

 

It was good.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out all of these amazing fanarts! Thank you all, your art and support fills me with determination!!!! XD
> 
> https://www.instagram.com/p/BQLOZELl7YC/ by Ammy  
> https://www.instagram.com/p/BQXG3ojFoMR/ also by Ammy  
> http://words-to-escape-by.deviantart.com/art/Piece-By-Piece-662338987 by Emma  
> http://turn-the-lights-out.deviantart.com/art/Dance-competition-outfit-from-Piece-by-Piece-662431783 by turn_the_lights_out
> 
> So... yeah. Sorry for the long wait, I had quite the week. Like I said, I've been needing to devote more time to work and such. But I still will continue this story.  
> Plus I felt like I had to give you guys a good, long chapter to hold you off.
> 
> On the song choices, I have always felt that Dangerous by Big Data was the best song for Frisk. I mean, come on, "take me to the core because they know... that I shut this down..." or "I've gotta get out of here, slip down into the dark"...  
> That's perfection, to me. It captures both Frisk's good and bad side, "slipping into the dark" (chara) when desperation rises.
> 
> Also, one more fragment down! WOO! How will you look now? Where will you go now?  
> And what the hell do the people in the park think just happened?!
> 
> Stay tuned! Let me know what you guys thought!! :3


	48. (Sap)ster

"uh.... _____, I know you're tired, but a public plaza might not be the best place to _park_ yourself..."

 

Your eyes opened slightly. Well, you thought they did. Your left eye opened wider than you anticipated, and your right barely opened at all.

 

Blue sky greeted you, and a bit below it was the concerned and shaded face of a skeleton.

 

"Mmmph." You mumbled non-commitedly. You noted that your voice was deeper yet, and could be interpreted as a male's or female's. You closed your eyes, and strained your abdominal muscles to sit up, pushing with your hands.

 

You sat up calmly, looking at the ground around you. You saw your legs, which were sticking far from the bottom of your pants in a kind of mis-fitting capri style. Your shoes also felt tight.

You examined your arms, holding them up. Your skin was super pale, and the flesh in the holes of your palms was barely visible. Your hands were long and thin, and big. Strong-looking.

You looked down, and sure enough, you were even more flat-chested now, and your previously-fitting tank top no longer covered your midsection.

 

You drew your knees up and hugged them, making a soft hum as you did. You admired your new deep voice.

You looked up to Sans, who was eyeing you with a strange expression of confusion.

 

"Don't worry, Sans, I'm all here. Er... well, there's more Gaster here now than before, as you can see."

 

".... no kidding. you... look quite a bit different..." He pointed to his face in reference to your own.

 

You reached in your pocket for your phone. You pulled it out and switched the camera view again.

 

Your own face greeted you. This time, it was even longer, paler, and the cracks now were about an inch wide in the thickest parts, splintering further, the one continuing even down your neck. Your right eye could no longer open beyond half, and your right was wide open and large beyond a normal human's capabilities. The smudge that had been under the bridge of your nose was now a large, long triangle-ish shape, and your nose was very translucent.. Your hair was also now mostly white, with only your roots being close to your original color.

 

And your eyes- at the edge of your iris, where the rest of your eye would be white, was now black. It was pretty striking.

 

Along with your noticing, you felt Gaster have a glimmer of recognition.

 

(Look like someone you know, Gast?) You mused.

 

(.... It is strange, seeing you... look at yourself and somehow seeing myself as well. I cannot place what features specifically, but...)

 

You smiled, and put your phone away. (I'm glad you're coming together. It won't be long before you will actually be able to not be trapped in my body.)

 

He admonished you. (Perhaps, but I do not mind sharing this body. I have gained new perspective, on many-)

 

"you alright, ______?" Sans cut off Gaster's thought, unknowingly.

 

You looked up at him, and rocked yourself off your butt and stood up. You were much, much taller than you had ever been before. Also much thinner.

 

"Yep, I'm good. Was just chatting with Gaster." You smiled down at Sans, who was now about a foot and a half shorter than you. He used to be only a few inches shorter.

 

He smiled lazily up at you from under his hood, no longer wearing a concerned expression.

 

"great." He regarded your new form for a moment. Then he walked to the boombox he had placed earlier and put it away in his phone. He turned back to you.

 

"so... now what's your plan? on to the next universe?"

 

You looked up, and looked around. The city bustled adamantly, the sun shone brightly, and puffy white clouds loomed above the towering buildings.

 

"Yeah. It seems so."

 

He quirked an eye socket. "no time for rest?"

 

"Nope. Got places to go, fragments to absorb. Not to mention Sans to save."

 

He chuckled. "well then, let me give you a _hand_ getting to your destination. you gotta go back to the first club you appeared in, right?"

 

You nodded. "Bingo."

 

With that,Sans snapped his body straight, then raised his arms in a sideways aim, and slid down into a kneel, and spun his body upside down, and flipped over towards you, and touched your arm.

 

In a surge of magic, you were suddenly back in the club you originally landed in. It was dark, but lights pulsed gently and a soft electronic beat grooved through the place.

 

Sans stood from his pose and let go of your arm.

 

"well, we're back at club g now. want any food before you go? grillbz makes a mean burg."

 

Your face contorted in a horrified expression before you could stop it.

 

"woah, woah. got it, no burg for you." He held his gloved hands up in surprise.

 

"Sorry...." You apologized. You just couldn't eat another burger. You had eaten almost nothing but them and fries for all this time....

 

"'so'kay, pal. you want anything else?"

 

You shook your head. "I should be going. God knows what's happening to Sans right now... I spent enough time in this universe." You thought. "Although, the time I spent here was really great. I didn't have to fear for my life, and I actually had a lot of fun." You smiled at the thought. "Thanks for helping me so much!"

 

He grinned back. "no problem, kid. i hope your next universe is just as fun and not-dangerous as this one."

 

You headed towards the grey door in the wall.

 

"Thanks, Sans. I'll remember this universe fondly, I promise." You waved and smiled goodbye.

 

"have a _fond_ trip, _____!" He waved back, and headed towards the bar in the back of the club, where Grillby was drying a glass with a towel.

 

You leaned against the door in a melancholic mood. Watching this club, with its mostly-dog patrons that were all familiar to you yet not, and Sans interact with the quiet flame monster... you wished for this kind of simplicity and happiness in your own universe.

 

(I too long for the simplicity of our universe...)

 

(Don't worry Gast, you're already over half together. We're strong now- we can handle whatever comes our way, I know it.)

 

(I... lack your confidence. It seems to be part of myself that is yet to appear.)

 

You smiled sadly, staring into the club absently.

 

(You're alright, Gast. Just be you as you are. We will find the rest.)

 

You felt a kind of warmth spread from him. It was like... gratitude, and pleasantness... and... something else...

 

(______... do you remember what the fragment from this universe asked you to promise?)

 

Your search for the definition of the feeling interrupted, you responded, (Yeah, about staying in your life after you re-form in our universe?)

 

(Yes. Well, do not feel obligated to do so if you do not wish.) He was sad at that thought, you could tell. (You have already done so much for me that I could not ask of you-)

 

(Gaster. I promised you, and I intend to keep it.) You felt his relief at your words. (Besides, don't be stupid- even if we met under normal circumstances, I'd be honored to have you as a friend. And I can't just let a friend deal with the insanity of the human world alone.)

 

He beamed gratitude, and all the pleasant emotions that you couldn't separate or distinguish. (Thank you, _____, for everything.)

 

You chuckled softly, with your mouth closed, your deep voice resonating.

(You're so sappy, Gast.)

 

He was taken aback, and flustered. You could feel your own cheeks start to blush from his emotions.

 

(Oh, come on now, don't get so flustered! Then we both look like we are blushing for no reason.)

 

That made him freak out more, unable to speak coherent thoughts.

 

You laughed out loud now, and turned away from the club towards the door, your hands on your face to hide. Unfortunately, the holes on your palms rendered that useless.

 

"Wheewww..." You exhaled as you both calmed down mentally and the blush faded from your cheeks.

 

You put down your hands and brushed them against the door. It was cold and smooth.

 

(Onwards?) you asked Gaster.

 

(Onwards.) He responded.

 

You put your hands on the handle. It too was cold and smooth.

 

You inhaled, and exhales, and turned it.

 

This time, there was no breeze that came through, as far as you could tell. The colors, however, were cool-toned and beautiful- blues, purples, yellows, and blacks.

 

(Well, here goes...)

 

You stepped through.

 

 

 

As your foot stepped down, it felt very... light. Springy. Like you weighed less. The ground softly crunched underfoot.

 

Your eyes adjusted, and you nearly passed out from the beauty.

 

 

You... were...

 

 

... in space.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yepyep, it's Outertale time!!! Get HYPED
> 
> Got this universe mostly planned out in my head, the plot and all. I'm super excited to see where it will go.   
> And with this chapter, I am doing another art, but I still haven't finished it... so I'll publish it with the next chapter. 
> 
> Which fragment will be here? What dangers will you face? What is going on with Sans and Error? Will you ever figure out what that strange warm emotion is that Gaster keeps seeming to have? Will Gaster ever stop being a sap?
> 
> I can only answer the last one, and that is a resounding "no".


	49. So Many New Colors

"Holy CRAP." You looked around, not believing your eyes. Or the fact that you could breathe.

 

(Gaster, we're in SPACE!) Your mind pulsed with excitement and joy at seeing such a beautiful world. In front of you were a series of asteroids, forming cliffs with what seemed to be snow, but upon further inspection, looked like white space dust.

 

In the distance, the sky was not dark, but nebulous, with swirling purple, blue and green gasses. Yellow and white stars dotted the sky that engulfed your vision.

 

You spun, looking around wildly. There were somehow grasses growing in strange colors everywhere from the dust on the ground. Your steps were light, and you weighed less, and you hopped around in the dust testing it. You found yourself giggling and bouncing around like a kid. Gaster too was having fun, you could tell.

 

You finally managed to look back at the door, which somehow was just floating in space, like it naturally belonged there. It seemed anchored to the spot, however. You breathed a sigh of relief in that it would not float away.

 

Upon checking its security, you spun away from the door, once again admiring the sky and asteroid field beyond you. It seemed to lead to somewhere, since the chunk of land you were on was relatively small.

 

(Shall we venture on, Gast?)

 

(Of course, _____.) He was cheerful.

 

You smiled, and hopped onwards.

 

Finally, as you were moving about and hopping from asteroid to asteroid, you realized that it was a bit chillier than was comfortable. So you pulled out your phone and grabbed the comfy (fav color) hoodie that you loved dearly. It now fit you a bit too tightly, but was still warm. At least, where it covered. Your wrists and midsection were still uncomfortably bare.

 

Once it was on and your phone safely tucked away in its pocket, you launched again into a series of jumps between asteroids. They were mostly close together, with less than a foot between them, and below them starlight and the cosmos twinkled back at you. You didn't really know what would happen if you fell off, but you didn't really want to find out.

 

(What a beautiful universe this is... though I really don't know how I can breathe.)

 

(It is quite beautiful,) Gaster replied. (It may have some atmosphere, since this seems to be a large asteroid field.)

 

(That could be it.)

 

You hopped gloriously from rock to rock, enjoying how your now long legs could carry you much further much faster.

 

The space dust underfoot also crunched like snow, you noticed. You even picked some up, and it was cold to the touch, and collapsed an crunched just like snow, but didn't melt.

 

You continued onwards for a while, until you saw a larger chain of asteroids form a large one, and another path join to become an even larger chain that continued into the distance.

All together, it was pretty much the most beautiful place you had ever been. The colors made all the dust seem to glow on the bluish black rocks of the asteroids, and the plants too seemed to glow in their odd blues, yellows, and pinks.

 

You sighed, and took a moment to take it all in. What a beautiful place.

 

Wait.

 

You pulled out your phone and took a picture.

Why had you not been taking pictures of all these places?! What was wrong with you?! Nobody else could probably dream of going to different universes, yet here you were, just bopping along, not documenting anything.

 

(You will always have the memories of what you've done in the other worlds, _____. Do not worry.) His mind was comforting.

 

(Once again, you somehow always know how to make me feel better, Gast.) You smiled and looked up at the glittering galaxy. You didn't recognize any of the constellations.

 

(Of course.) He seemed a bit pleased at your remarks. (But may I suggest that I search for the fragment in this universe?)

 

You rubbed your face with your hand. (Right, duh. That's why we're here.) You noticed your skin was surprisingly smooth, like flesh crossed with polished stone. Your thoughts were interrupted when your hand brushed over the crack in your cheek...

 

It was just... a void. You gently slid your hands over the edge of the gap, and where your flesh ended was sharp, like a corner of something hard. You even dared to press your fingertips inside the crack... and you felt nothing. Your face registered no feeling, nor your fingers. Inside of the crack was... emptiness.

 

(.... Interesting that it does not interplay with your biological self, _____.) Gaster radiated curiosity like that of a scientist. It was similar to your own.

 

(I was thinking the same thing. It's like some sort of... void. In my face. Your face? I can't tell. Did you have ... cracks before?)

 

(I did not, that was something that happened from being split in the core, I believe.) He wasn't offended, just analytical. (I should probably search for that fragment now then...)

 

You felt him extend his sense outward, giving a light pulse from his soul connected with yours. For the first time, you could have sworn that you saw a white wave ripple from your body as his sense extended outwards.

 

It stretched further, and further in all directions. You began to feel like perhaps there would be nothing, in a brief panic of being somewhere with no fragment, but then the sense struck.

 

It was a fragment, far off in the distance. It barely sensed Gaster and you back, and when it did, it ... ignored you. It didn't even bother to cut off the connection. It simply just did not care that you were there.

 

(Huh. Seems... like a strange one.)

 

(Agreed. I wonder what part of myself-)

 

Before Gaster finished, you both saw movement from the corner of your eyes. A small figure, clad in a dark blue sweater and tan shorts, hopped along the path in front of you, not noticing you. They had brown hair that flopped slowly in the low gravity with each bounce.

They looked an awful lot like Frisk!

 

You hopped forward, and raised a hand to your mouth.

 

"Frisk?" You called, your deep voice ringing clear through the low atmosphere.

 

They turned and saw you, with a look of panic on their faces. You smiled and waved, hopping closer to them.

 

For a moment, they looked scared enough to run away, but they seemed to stay in place.

 

You landed next to them after several hops, and smiled down at them. This Frisk had the same bright complexion, the same chopped brown hair, but wore a cute oversized dark blue sweater with twin gold stripes, black suspenders ending in star clips, and little brown shorts. They looked up at you with a confused, slightly frightened expression. This made you make a concerned face of your own in response.

And then you remembered that this Frisk wouldn't and couldn't know you.

 

"Uh, hi!" You smiled down at them, your one eye mashed small in the expression, the other wide.

 

"... How do you know me?" They signed just like the other Frisks did too.

 

"Well... it's a bit complicated to explain... but essentially I've met a bunch of different versions of you from different universes. I'm on a mission, traveling through dimensions, you see..." You rubbed the back of your hair nervously, hoping they would believe you.

 

Surprisingly, their eyes literally became stars as their face lit up with wonder.

 

"You're an... inter-dimensional traveller? That's met different versions of me?!" They signed excitedly. They no longer looked afraid.

 

You perked up as well, relieved. "You betcha! And I gotta say, you're a pretty cool kid. And I've met some cool kids in my day, let me tell you." You grinned.

 

Frisk pulled the strings of their suspenders out and let them snap back, excitedly. "I know, I'm pretty cool." They grinned. "So you won't... attack me or anything? You... look kind of human."

 

"Nah," you waved you hand dismissively, "I'm just here looking for someone." You thought for a moment. "Did you... are you... " You didn't know what you were asking.

 

Frisk noticed, and spoke up (with their hands).

 

"I crash landed here by accident. Now, I'm just trying to find another ship and get home." They shrugged.

 

"I see..." You rubbed your chin in thought. You weren't sure if that was something you made a habit of doing, or something Gaster did instinctively.

 

"You wouldn't happen to be traveling that way, would you?" You gestured towards the direction Gaster felt his fragment.

 

Frisk nodded gleefully. "I am! Do you wanna go with me?"

 

You grinned as wide as your cracked face would allow, and ruffled their hair, to which they giggled. "Of course! We can be traveling buddies."

 

Frisk excitedly signed "Yay!" and promptly grabbed onto your arm, holding it to their side like a child would hold a security blanket.

 

"Shall we go then?" You crooked your head in the direction.

 

Frisk excitedly nodded, and the two of you took off in a leap to the next section of asteroid.

As the two of you hopped and giggled excitedly, Frisk somehow managed to ask you a question.

 

"What's your name, by the way?"

 

"Oh, me? I'm _____. Sorry for not saying so earlier, I must have been..."

You leaned closer to Frisk, grinning wide.

"... _spacing out_."

 

Frisk giggled hysterically and punched you in the side. It .... almost felt more like a kiss than a punch, from the level of hurt it gave you.

 

"Hey, kid, don't just _star_ -tle me like that."

 

Once again they broke into laughter, and you too couldn't help but laugh.

 

But... then you thought of Sans. The puns... where was the Sans from your universe now? You hoped he was alright...

 

The two of you were now on a big asteroid, one that you didn't have to jump from, but instead could walk on like a normal path. You couldn't see the end.

 

The two of you exchanged jokes and small talk until you saw a bunch of beams of light ahead. The path narrowed, and it looked like the only way through was through the beams of light, which were almost like bars made of lasers or light-sabers from Starwars, but ... if bars were too wide to stop anybody. But the two of you did have to go single file. You decided to go first, in case it was a trap.

 

But... it didn't seem like it was. The two of you made it through without a problem.

 

And you continued down the asteroid path. You ran into a few monsters, but they didn't attack you. For some reason, they were all ice-themed, like this land was designed to be like Snowdin. Even the monsters seemed to be more space-like, their colors blending in with the starry sky.

It seemed like they looked at you, and then at Frisk, and then just carried on about their business. You were kind of grateful that you didn't have to defend yourself. You sensed that Frisk was a little bit afraid, since they clung to you, but you assured them that with you around, everything would be fine.

 

Well, as fine as things could get around you. You did tend to attract danger, but... you decided that Frisk being with you was better than being alone.

However, it wasn't long before you found a monster that refused to ignore the two of you.

 

As you rounded a corner of a big asteroid, you saw a familiarly tall skeleton messing with a puzzle involving a series of X's and O's.

 

While Frisk, like a normal human, shrunk back, you forgot to be smart and immediately called out.

 

"Hello there!"

 

What could only be described as a space-themed Papyrus turned to face the two of you with a loud "Nyeh?"

 

And...

 

It began.

 

 

 

\------------

 

 

 

Error counted the monsters he now had strung up in his anti-void.

 

There was Classic, Fell, Swap Papyrus, Dancer... still not enough, he felt.

 

He was amused by all their antics as the new additions realized what was happening. Swap Papyrus had been in the middle of combatting his first genocide run when Error took him, which caused quite a bit of anger. Dancer was normally chill, but was generally peeved to be stolen from his ideal universe of eternal party.

 

The four of them bickered, and Error imagined eating popcorn while watching.

 

But he had no popcorn in the antivoid.

He had also never had popcorn. It was something he only saw people eat from the monitors.

 

"so... you're telling me... that the genocidal... thing that was disguised in human form in my universe, now has a fragment of gaster, and is bent on destroying not just the goodness their universe, but all universes?" Papyrus' eyes narrowed in disbelief at Classic's explanation.

 

Fell huffed in frustration. "yep. the shit's apparently true."

 

"how the hell are we supposed to fight something that powerful then? how many of us are you thinking of capturing, glitchy?" Dancer asked, and looked to Error.

 

Error's glitching got worse out of anger from the insult, and he tightened the cords on Dancer's soul. He growled in pain.

 

"i'm doing my best with what i have. openings to other universes are rare, but classic's friend keeps leaving tears for me to trace wherever she goes." Error glared at Dancer, who had beads of sweat from pain on his skull. "trust me, i'd choose some better fighters if i could, but you lot are the only ones i have access to, for now."

 

"why the fuck d'you keep us tied up, though?" Fell sneered. "it's not like we can go anywhere. and hell if i let this abomination live to threaten MY timeline. i'll fight the bastard willingly."

 

"great!" Error smirked. "but i still can't have you all loose in the anti-void. there's some things you shouldn't know, some monitors you all couldn't bare to see." Error turned to his wall, a distance from him, and unreadable for the four others.

 

"so, do your monitors see different times as well? or is it all the same time between the different universes?" Classic asked.

 

Error considered if he should tell him anything. He was bored, and him knowing shouldn't hurt.

"the monitors only show what they consider most relevant to the creation or destruction of new universes. right now, the most common channels are of the doomsday universe, as i call it, with chara-gaster, and the others are your precious _____'s adventures. the times are all being held from my knowledge, and of course, time means different things for different universes. but thus far, i cannot tell what will happen to ____ or to chara-gaster next. it is all very, very unstable."

 

"because of what?" Papyrus asked.

 

"because of two possible players- _____, and me."

 

"you forgot ME."

 

 

The voice came from nowhere. Error spun to see the face he loathed more than any.

 

Yet another version of himself, standard white bone, with one blue eye, one a yellow star. His frame wrapped in a brown scarf, a blue hoodie tied around his waist, and a variety of other messy clothing. An oversized paintbrush held like a weapon.

 

Error immediately launched his strings towards the newcomer, and he deflected them with a single stroke of the brush, creating a black stroke that acted like a shield and floated before him.

 

Error's eyes narrowed.

 

"what a pleasant visit, ink. so nice to see you."

 

"error. we need to talk."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Sorry I'm taking so long to update now, I've, uh, been getting back on my real-life work groove. But that doesn't stop my guilt for not writing this more, so don't worry- I haven't forgotten all you patient souls.
> 
> First, look at THESE AMAZING FANARTS. I still can't handle? That real people? Would care enough to do art? For a story I've written?  
> Thank you Somanoko!  
> http://orig13.deviantart.net/2b48/f/2017/052/0/5/soft_sweater_by_justfiyen-dazyf26.png  
> http://orig04.deviantart.net/23c0/f/2017/053/f/3/undertalepbp_by_justfiyen-dazyms1.png  
> http://justfiyen.deviantart.com/art/Untilted-665162116
> 
> I also updated the latest profile for my interpretation of the reader +Whim, as well as a shot of just how poorly-fitting your clothes are now. RIP your style.  
> http://words-to-escape-by.deviantart.com/
> 
> So.... yeah! Outertale is gonna be a fun one, don't you think? For such a pretty universe, surely, it must be safe... ;)  
> And now you have a young Frisk to protect... what a good paren- PERSON you are. You both...? Who?  
> And what is UP with that fragment?   
> And what's Ink gonna do?  
> (Also, low-key forgive me for not changing error's font. too much work, and I'm lazy.)
> 
> Let me know what y'all think!


	50. The Taste of Cinnamon and the Light of the Cosmos

The skeleton who turned towards you looked just like Papyrus, expect for his attire. His clothes were the same shape as the first Papyrus you met, from your own universe, but all of the colors were dark blue with gold trim. His gloves and emblem on his chest also were golden stars and diamonds.

He looked back and forth between you, who were in front, with your awkward "whoops, I messed up" wave still in the air, and Frisk, who was peering cautiously out from behind your torso.

 

"WELL, HELLO THERE TO YOU TWO... TOO..." He seemed wary as well. "YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE ANY MONSTERS I'VE MET BEFORE... ARE YOU NEW HERE?"

 

You nodded and ruffled the hair of the nervous child under you.

 

"Yep! And you must be the great Papyrus, right?"

 

He perked up, and put his gloved hand on his chest. "WHY YES I AM!" He then strolled quickly up to the two of you, his boots crunching in the space dust, hand extended.

 

Once he finally was close to you, you shook his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Papyrus! I'm ______, and this is Frisk. We are... going that way." You pointed.

 

"WELL THEN, AS THE BEST FUTURE MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD, ALLOW ME TO ESCORT YOU THROUGH THIS REGION." He bowed and gestured in the direction.

 

You smiled at him. "That would be great! I'm sure you know this place better than we do- it would be an honor to be escorted by someone as great as yourself!" You followed the skeleton who was beginning to lead you onwards, and Frisk giggled at your praises of Papyrus.

 

"WHY THANK YOU, ______. YOU ARE QUITE A NICE MONSTER."

 

You flinched a bit at that. Was it because Papyrus had never seen a human before, or was it because you looked closer to Gaster now?

Frisk noticed your jump, and looked up at you. They quietly signed.

 

"Are you a monster?"

 

You see-sawed your hand in a "sort-of" manner in response.

 

That seemed to make them confused, but they accepted it and grasped your arm as the three of you walked onwards.

 

"YOU CAUGHT ME AT AN OPPORTUNE TIME, I MUST SAY." Papyrus beamed at the two of you. "I AM RECALIBRATING MY PUZZLES, AND WAS LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO TEST THEM OUT."

 

"Your puzzles?" Frisk signed. They looked excited.

 

"YES! MY HUMAN-CONFOUNDING PUZZLES. THEY WOULD BE QUITE DIFFICULT FOR ANY HUMAN TO COMPLETE WITHOUT HELP, BUT I'M POSITIVE THE TWO OF YOU WILL HAVE NO DIFFICULTY, AS YOU ARE MONSTERS."

 

You gulped as Papyrus led you around a corner. In front of you was a sheet of ice, stretching out in a rectangle before the three of you, with a series of red X's in snow placed around the frozen ground.

 

"THE GOAL OF THIS PUZZLE IS TO TURN ALL OF THE X'S TO O'S. BUT YOU CAN ONLY STEP ON EACH X ONCE FOR IT TO WORK."

 

You stared at the ice field before you. It didn't look that hard.

 

(If you need my help, I can-)

 

(Ah. Ah-ah-ah.) You cut off Gaster's words, tutting. (I got this.) You grinned slyly. (Human-confounding.... yeah right.)

 

Gaster quietly nodded, admiring your confidence.

 

"WHICH ONE OF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GO FIRST?" Papyrus beamed happily at the two of you.

 

You looked down at Frisk, who was eyeing the puzzle with a similarly determined look on their face. They grinned at it, and then up at you.

 

"You wanna give it a go, champ?" you asked them.

 

They nodded excitedly, and hopped forward, landing slowly in the low gravity. They stepped closer to the ice sheet.

 

"DO BE CAREFUL, SMALLER ONE, THE ICE IS A BIT-"

 

Frisk stepped onto the ice and began sliding... almost... too smoothly, towards one of the X's.

 

They halted as they slid onto the snow-covered X, and it turned into a green O. A click rang through the chilly air.

 

Frisk then considered the rest of the puzzle before them, looking from X to X, seeming to test out different solutions. You too thought about the solution, if the ice terrain made you slide like that every time.

 

In a few seconds, Frisk stepped off the O and back onto the ice, sliding steadily towards the next X. They then proceeded without hesitation to slide to the next, and the next, and in a short while, the entire place was full of green O's.

 

"WOWIE, THAT WAS FAST! GOOD JOB, FRISK!"

 

"Yeah, way to go, kid!" You cheered from the other side of the ice field.

 

Frisk signed in large gestures, hoping you would see it from your distance, but you still understood (which you still didn't understand, given that you never learned sign language?)

 

"Thanks! But... now what?"

 

"NOW, WE CAN PROGRESS!" Papyrus held out a gloved blue hand to you, which you hesitantly took. He then leapt and pulled you into the air, yourself giggling, the two of you coming down gently on the ice, and sliding slowly, yet smoothly to the side where Frisk stood.

 

The three of you ventured onwards, and Frisk and you alternated between solving the various puzzles. Other monsters watched you from a distance, and all seemed amused by Papyrus' antics and your puzzle solving. Frisk still amazed you by figuring out most of the puzzles much faster than you did.

It seemed like a few hours had gone by when you saw, in the distance, a large, glowing sign.

Papyrus announced your arrival.

 

"WELL, HERE WE ARE! THE SPECTACULAR TOWN OF CARVEDIN."

 

You raised your eyebrows at the name. Well, it probably wasn't correct to call it Snowdin, since there wasn't any snow or anything... but... carved... in?

 

As you passed the sign, which spelled in glowingwhite letters "Welcome to Carvedin!", you realized exactly why the place was named that.

 

Before you lie a town carved into the side of a huge cliff of an asteroid- all dusted in the white powder that wasn't snow. Each building that you remembered from snowman emerged from the side of the cliff face, the fronts carved to look brick-like from the blueish grey stone. The tops of them still had dark grey shingles, and also seemed to have the powder drifted along them.

 

All the monsters of the town (which were not many) bustled about between the buildings and glowing dust and plants, some talking, some just walking, some kids playing...

 

It was a beautiful sight, all backdropped by the swirling cosmos that you still were awed by.

 

You stopped in your tracks as just stared at the sight for a while. They just... went about life. Like it was normal. Like, these people just lived in space, every day, all day. Doing normal life things.

 

"ARE YOU HUNGRY, _____ AND FRISK? I KNOW A WONDERFUL SHOP THAT SELLS THE BEST CINNABUNNIES."

 

Oh, god. Something that wasn't greasy. Something sweet and warm. Your mouth salivated, and you nodded intently at Papyrus, and you saw Frisk do so as well, perhaps even with more excitement than you.

Papyrus laughed. "THEN I SHALL ALSO ESCORT YOU TO THE SHOP! NYEH-HEH!" The two of you followed him to... literally the first building in the town.

 

A purple bunny in a tank top stood by the counter, handling a tray of something amazing-smelling. She was slipping the pastries off a baking sheet and onto a large plate of bunny-face shaped cinnamon buns, and you nearly died from just the sight and smell.

 

"Oh, hello, Papyrus! Want some fresh ones for you and your brother?" She smiled up at him, her eyes also darting to the two of you. "Maybe some for the fresh faces as well?"

 

"OF COURSE, THAT WOULD BE LOVELY! I TOLD THESE TWO ABOUT YOUR SHOP AND YOUR AMAZING BAKED CONFECTIONS, AND THEY SIMPLY HAD TO COME HERE! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" He chuckled. The rabbit lady also laughed softly, and plated three of the treats onto a paper plate.

 

"I'll put Sans' in a bag for you." She handed the plate of three to Papyrus, who gave her a few coins, before turning to put another in a bag, which she then handed back to him.

 

"Enjoy!" She smiled at all of you.

 

The three of you said your thank you's and went back out the door. Conveniently, there was a bench outside the door. Frisk hopped up on the bench, then you sat next to them, and Papyrus sat next to you. He then extended the plate to the two of you, and you both happily pulled the warm pastry off the plate, it giving a soft sticky sound as it peeled.

 

You thought about how comical the three of you must look, a kid, a pale, thin, tall monster-esque human, and a skeleton monster, all sharing cinnamon bunnies on a bench.

 

It was beautiful, you thought, as you stared into the asteroid-filled cosmos before you. You bit down into the pastry, and dissolved into bliss. An audible hum of joy escaped your lips as you chewed. It, like all monster food, was light and airy, but still filled your chest with a sense of... what was it... willpower....?

 

After a few very pleasurable bites, you looked down to see Frisk also enraptured by the tasty pastry, almost devouring it with glee. You grinned and continued to work on your own bunny, and in a short while there was nothing left but your sticky hands.

 

You turned to see that Papyrus has removed his gloves and was consuming the pastry with his boney hands. He noticed your gaze and smiled brightly at you.

 

"IS IT NOT THE FINEST CINNABUNNY YOU HAVE EVER HAD?"

 

"It is indeed the best- and only- I've ever had. I wish they sold these where I'm from..." Your mind drifted back to your own city. Well, Muffet's pastries were also incredibly good, so you couldn't complain... but...

 

"WHERE ARE YOU FROM, _____? PERHAPS THE OWNER LADY WOULD SEND SOME VIA MAIL?"

 

You briefly panicked. But you came up with an excuse.

 

"I'm, uh, from the outskirts... of the capitol? Yeah, I was just... visiting some family.... over here." You hoped you sounded convincing.

 

"YOUR FAMILY LIVES NEAR HERE? I WOULD LIKELY KNOW THEM THEN. THIS IS A SMALL TOWN, AFTER ALL. WHAT IS THEIR NAME?"

 

More panic rose in your chest. There was no way, no hope that you could...

 

"(The Snowdrake's are like family to me, that is to say, we aren't related, but we act as such. We visited them on this trip.)" Gaster spoke through you, with clarity and confidence. You gave him immense thanks for knowing what to say.

 

Papyrus nodded. "THE SNOWDRAKES ARE WONDERFUL PEOPLE! ALTHOUGH, THEIR SON MAKES SUCH AWFUL JOKES, THEY REMIND ME OF MY BROTHER'S... NYEH." He seemed bitter, and it made you laugh a bit, knowing exactly how much he didn't like Sans' puns.

 

Frisk interrupted your thoughts as they yawned loudly beside you.

 

"Need to sleep, kiddo?" You nudged their shoulder.

 

They sleepily looked up at you, their eyes nearly closed in tiredness. They slowly nodded, and leaned into your shoulder, resting their head.

 

"There's an Inn nearby, right?" You asked Papyrus.

 

He nodded, and gestured to the literal building connected to the shop. Now that you looked, it did have a sign that said "Inn" on it. Huh.

 

"Gonna have to get this kid some shuteye." You gently prodded the sleeping child, but they seemed to have fallen asleep on your arm.

 

"I... see. I will assist you in carrying Frisk to the Inn." You had never heard him talk so quietly, you assumed not to wake Frisk.

 

You smiled at him as he gently stood up and lifted the tiny frame to his chest. Frisk didn't even budge.

 

The two of you crunched through the dust to the Inn. Upon entering, you were greeted by another rabbit monster lady, who was smiling as she manned the counter. She saw Frisk scooped up in Papryus' arms, and smiled softly at the sight.

 

"Up the stairs and to the right, dear." She said softly to him. He headed upstairs, his weight making the wood on the stairs creak softly. He seemed to be more quiet than any Papyrus you had ever met.

 

"And you, dear? Would you like to stay the night?"

 

You were pretty tired... You looked at your phone's clock. It was set to 10:30 PM. Well, your sleep schedule wasn't so messed up after all.

 

"Yes, that'd be great... but..." You thought about payment. "How much is it?"

 

She smiled sweetly, and seemingly knowingly, at you. "Don't worry about it, dear. You look like you need it."

 

You smiled gratefully. "Thank you so much, ma'am. It has ... been a long day." You sighed. She nodded in understanding.

 

Papyrus then came softly creaking back down the stairs. He couldn't weigh that much, right? Being a skeleton?

 

"Are you staying the night as well, _____?" You still couldn't handle how quiet he was.

 

You nodded.

 

"Well, if you need anything, I live down the street, just go through the tunnels and I'm right in the big house with the spectacular snow-skeleton space-dust sculpture out front!" He beamed at you.

 

"Ok! Thank you so much for everything, Papryus. The puzzles, the food, the friendship, everything." You walked up and gave him a hug.

 

He hugged you back, a little surprised. "You are most welcome, _____. It is the least the great Papyrus can do! Nyeheheh!"

 

The two of you pulled apart, and you said your goodbyes, and you creaked up the stairs.

 

The room you were given was next to Frisk's. You opened the door to a charming little wood bedroom, with a bed that looked oh-so-inviting.

You shut the door and practically ran, your mind almost making the anticipation like slow-mo, as you fell ungracefully into the bed, face first.

 

You grunt-sighed in joy at the softness.

(Hell yessssss...) Your mind was euphoric.

 

Gaster too was reveling in the feeling of comfort. You could feel your own and his contentedness from the day's events.

 

You managed to re-arrange your body so you actually were lying long ways. Your body stretched the full length of the bed, and you were glad there was no footboard to stop your feet from falling over the end or kicking it. You were too long for most beds now, you imagined.

 

You rolled around, wriggling out of your hoodie, throwing it to the ground. Next came your tank top, and then you wriggled out of your pants. Neither you nor Gaster cared- it was for sheer comfort. Plus, your shirt was beginning to smell... unpleasant.

 

You then wriggled your body under the covers, which were thick, soft, and warm, and you lie in bliss under them. You never wanted to move again. You were so, so comfortable, in your tiredness.

 

 

As you felt yourself drift into sleep, your last thoughts were of cinnamon, and swirling galaxies, and of warmth and softness.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Could you tell I was tired while writing this? *Yawn...*
> 
> The beauty of Outertale- it's what makes it so popular. Let's take our time and enjoy the beauty, the simpleness, the warmth of blankets, the flavor of cinnabunnies and friendship...
> 
> ... while it lasts.
> 
> Note- more fanarts keep coming! Bless you all for putting visuals to this story- it's amazing to see everyone's different styles and interpretations, and to see the story in my head as portrayed by others from their own heads.  
> I'll make a post thing with all of the fanarts in soon, for reference!
> 
> Until next chapter, all, have a good night!


	51. Slipping

Colors. Beautiful colors.

 

Purples, yellows, blues, greens, whites.... all against black.

 

All hazy, all composing the eternity of space that stretched endlessly around you.

 

You simply floated there. You simply were a speck in all of the glory that was time and space.

 

It took some time before you began to care about anything again.

 

 

You looked around, eyeing the galaxies swirling around you, the nebulas, the planets, everything. But there were no familiar asteroids- no hints at the world you remembered in physicality.

 

And then, you saw him. You felt him.

 

In the distance, you saw a dark figure, floating, suspended in the space. His long, thin frame was tiny compared to the enormous cloak that drifted from his shoulders. It enveloped much of the sky around him, billowing, dark, the edges undefined and flaring, like a nebula itself. It was easily 10 times his size. But his body, of course, was bigger than you by far.

 

You could not make out what was on the cloak, but you were sure there were glowing things in it. They looked like thousands and thousands of stars from where you were.

 

You willed yourself to float closer.

 

"Gaster?" You called out. Your voice was your old one, soft and higher pitched. It echoed.

 

He did not respond. He merely continued to look at the space before him, and you could now see that his arms were outstretched, controlling white, holed hands that floated in front of him. The hands seemed to be moving around the stars and galaxies in the cosmos.

 

You neared him. The cape that bellowed from him now took up most of your vision, blocking most of the sky from your view. But inside the cape, which you previously saw as stars, were now elaborate patterns of light, some parts writing in strange symbols, some parts equations, some parts constellations, diagrams- countless, all making up a kind of glowing cosmos of their own, all trailing from his back on a black, billowing tapestry.

 

You couldn't help but stare at it for a while. It was so much, and all of it seemed to mean something. You couldn't imagine what for.

 

You looked again to him, who was still moving about stars and astronomical bodies with the white hands.

 

"Gaster? Can you hear me?"

 

".... the thermochemical parametrics of induction won't work... ah, no good..."

 

His voice was low, and monotone. He didn't seem to be speaking to you. He moved his arms quickly, dismembering whatever organization of stars he had before. Then he began again.

 

"(Gaster.)" You said, louder. You thought it in your soul.

 

He flinched, but continued moving the celestial bodies around in some sort of meaningful pattern.

 

"(Hello?!)" You nearly shouted in your head and with your mouth.

 

He gave a sighish grunt of irritation.

 

He turned his head to look at you, and the conjured hands before him dissolved.

His head was a pale white, as you expected, with soft cracks running from his eyes, which were filled with white pinpricks of light that flared like yours when magic was summoned. They wisped out and into the darkness of the cosmos. Both eyes were wide, however- the right was not smashed-looking. He looked... younger, like a young adult, you noted.

He regarded you with what appeared to be disinterest, mixed with irritation. He crossed his arms, and floated above you, his enormous cloak still gently stirring in the space around him.

 

"Who are you to be interrupting my work?"

 

You frowned at him. "I'm _____, and I'm trying to put all your fragments back together."

 

He frowned back at you, and spun to the side again, his arms outstretched, and summoned hands appeared.

 

"A useless effort. My former self had too many inhibitions to get any real work done. In this form, I may not be corporeal, but I have done so much more than I ever had as a whole being."

 

His arms flew back and forth, elegantly switching stars and chains of gasses with planets and galaxies in the distance.

 

"And how are your discoveries and work going to be put to use if no living person can ever discover you?" You prodded.

 

"A mere matter of time- I will find a way to become corporeal as a fragment. It has not been a pressing concern as of late." His voice was condescending.

 

"And just what is a pressing concern to you now?" You were growing frustrated at his tone.

 

"Not being bothered."

 

You sighed in frustration.

 

"You think that merely getting work done, in this special void of this universe, is more important than coming back together with the rest of yourself and being a whole person again?" You asked incredulously.

 

He did not answer, only made a face in frustration and moved the cosmos with more vigor and sharp movements.

 

"What about helping the universe you came from? The good you could do for people? The theories and inventions you could make to solve problems that plague all humans and monsters? What good would your work do here?"

 

He was silent, and you could sense his irritation.

 

"You could do so much more as a complete being. You could live somewhere, you could ... I dunno, have a life, and ... bake quiche, and-"

 

He spun to face you in frustration. The whites in his eyes flared wildly, trailing from them in long tendrils of flame-like light.

"And what right do _YOU_ have to critique my desires, my goals?! Who are you to say what I should sacrifice, or who I should help?! How worthy are YOU?! What have _YOU_ done in your life as a ' _real_ ' person?"

 

The words hit you like a shockwave. You stammered mentally. You try to think of things you accomplished- you graduated high school-no, you... had friends... you...

 

"... you have _no right_ to critique what I work towards. You cannot understand the vastness of what I aim to achieve!" His voice was loud, and passionate, and angry.

"And you have no hope of stopping me. _You cannot_. You will not."

 

He turned back to his work, the white hands flaring to life once more, shifting across the colors of the universe.

 

You... couldn't think of anything. He was right. What had you done in life? Who had you helped? What had you contributed?

You could only think of one defense.

 

"... You're right. I could never achieve what you have. I didn't invent the core, I never became any genius, or did something to save my race."

 

He didn't change his movements or expression.

 

"But... I've done things that I have enjoyed. That others enjoyed. And those people remember me- they remember the small things I've done."

 

Once you mentioned the word 'remember', his arms stopped moving.

 

"If you remain here, in this universe, the rest of our universe has no chance of knowing who made the core. Of ever gaining any of the benefits of whatever work you've done here. And the rest of you will never be able to be complete again. You will remain fragmented forever. And no one will remember you- for _anything_ that you've done, no matter how big or small."

 

Your words seemed to work. He slowly turned to face you, his head low, and looked at you with narrowed, flaring eyes, teeth gritted.

"The rest of me holds me back from my full potential."

 

"Your full potential is more than your works. It is you- _**all** of you_!" you shouted at him.

 

" _You cannot imagine what I am capable of!_ " He roars at you, but you can hear his voice break.

 

"I _**can**_ imagine! And I know that the universe would be better off with the entirety of you, flaws and all!"

 

" **You CANNOT KNOW!** "

He roared, the flares from his eyes becoming roaring flames, and his cloak billowed strongly, as if there was a breeze, and it grew closer to you. It, in its enormous mass, blocked the rest of Gaster from your vision. You spun, and you could only see the cloak. It was everywhere- it had enveloped you. The equations on it danced, and the symbols mashed together. You began to feel... images, pictures, thoughts, in them, that swam in your mind.

 

All his goals, all his dreams...

 

 

All his ambitions....

 

They roared in your mind.

 

He wanted to break the monsters of this universe from the barrier that kept them tethered to this asteroid field.

 

He wanted to find a way to dismantle the child of shadow that lurked and hunted and despised the kindness of the universe.

 

He wanted to unlock the secrets of time and space, and to be able to become corporeal as a fragment- to train Alphys and Sans in the sciences more than he could as a full being, to discover the link to cross between timelines, to cross universes, to help all universes, to give his work to the monsters to help them thrive in spite of the trappings of mankind.

 

He wanted to see monsters happy, and on the surface, and he wanted to be happy because of that.

 

You could feel him _slip_.

 

He wanted to see people laugh, to make people laugh, to smile and to be smiled at-

 

_What was happening?_

 

He wanted to be remembered. He wants to be remembered as one who dedicated his life to help others. He wanted to be trusted. To be humored. To be cherished.

 

_Stop, he didn't mean-!_

 

To be believed in.

 

 

That is the final thought you received as he cut you off from his mind.

 

That slipping you felt- it seemed to be him loosing control of the desires he wanted to show you.

 

It seemed like his passions were not only limited to his discoveries and works, but to his desires... to be happy.

 

To ... mean something, to someone, to anyone.

 

To be remembered.

 

And so, you now dwelled in complete darkness. You could no longer feel his emotions, or his mind. He seemed to have cut you off when he realized what he was showing you.

 

So... he did want ... to be ... remembered.

 

He wanted to be cared about, you realized, and not forgotten.

 

He... almost seemed afraid of his own desires, too. He didn't want you to see them. But he had let them slip.

 

As you floated in the darkness, you smiled to nobody but yourself.

 

You were content. You knew that he secretly wanted to be whole again. To have some sort of connection to someone who would remember him.

 

It didn't surprise you, you mused.

After all, you knew he was a sap.

 

 

\--------

 

 

Error and Ink stared each other down. The non-air of the anti-void was thick with tension.

 

"so... what did you want to talk about?" Error smugly grinned, knowing exactly why he was here. He relaxed his stance, and withdrew his strings. He knew that Ink and he always came to a stalemate in fighting, so there would be no point.

 

"i think you know exactly what, error." He narrowed his bright eyes, and rested his giant brush on his shoulder. "for one, you can't just steal four characters and expect to get away unnoticed." He gestured towards the four strung up. Error noticed their expressions seem to become hopeful. He would have to solve that.

 

"well, ink, i'm not sure if you're aware about the doomsday universe that has popped up on my monitors."

 

Ink's eyes widened in surprise. "'doomsday universe?' i haven't come across..." He teleported over to the screens, and saw a few of them. He gasped, and he dropped his brush, it clattering to the ground, staining it black where the ink touched.

 

Error grimaced. He hated cleaning ink-stains- he had had too many battles that he had to clean the anti-void from.

 

He walked over to Ink, who was staring into one of the monitors. On it, a freakishly unproportionate form with grew, straight hair, chopped like frisk's, long arm extended, a pale hand holding a knife floating before it, slowly cutting into a cowering monster in a corner.

 

"no, no _nonono...._ " Ink pressed his face closer to the monitor.

 

Error pressed his hand to his face in irritation. "aren't you supposed to be on the watch for the creation of new universes? isn't that, like your _'job'_?"

 

"this is unlike any AU, it is some bastardization of.... chance. nobody... i can't imagine the being responsible for creating this...."

 

"yeah, well, it happened. chara has fused with a gaster shard from the OU, and is now wrecking its own timeline. it doesn't even need frisk."

 

Ink spun to face Error.

 

"is this why you took those four? to help combat _this_ thing?" His face was serious.

 

"bingo." Error grinned sarcastically back.

 

Ink brought his hand to his chin. "you still shouldn't kidnap them, but... "

 

"ink, did you even _look_ at the rest of the monitors of that universe?"

 

His eyes widened, and he turned back to them, and looked over the screens.

 

Error spoke. "those monsters in that universe- the demon fusion is corrupting them. they are no longer clean souls. they all are being corrupted by hate."

 

"but-"

 

"you can't save them, ink. it's too late. there is no opening before the fusion of chara and the shard- it's a sealed universe. there is nothing you can do. the timeline must be destroyed, and _you know it_."

 

Ink stared at the monitor, and Error could see his hands shake.

 

"... i cannot..." He muttered.

 

"you're right, you can't. but _i can_. that's what i do. i end mistakes in the continuum. and you can either let this timeline risk a rupture and let it contaminate others, or let me destroy it." Error crossed his arms.

 

Ink gathered himself, and picked up his brush and tied it to his back. He looked stoic and wounded at the same time. He would not meet Error's gaze.

 

"wait-" Classic spoke up from across the anti-void. "if it's a fragment from my universe, then ____ won't be able to put all of Gaster back together if it is destroyed..." His face was concerned, beads of sweat at his brow.

 

Ink looked to Classic with a sad expression, and then turned away. "_____ has been responsible for much in the creation of new timelines and universes... but..."

 

"it's a sacrifice that has to be made. _____ made the choice of risking herself when she began this stupid adventure anyways. she knew she might never be the same, or not even come back alive. or that she could be stuck with gaster forever." Error spoke to Classic in a candid tone.

 

Classic's eyesockets turned to empty voids, and his body slumped from his strings, slightly. The others also seemed saddened.

 

"cheer up, classic." Error mused. "it's not everyday you get to take part in something bigger than your own universe. and protect your own from something as horrific as this."

He glanced to the screen, which was now showing a warped, distorted version of a shambling Loox, body sliced and wearing a weary, angry expression, their soul dripping in black. None of the others could see this, he knew, but it didn't matter.

 

"i will gather help from some universes as well, error." Ink spoke. "you will need all the help you can get. but how do you propose getting through to that universe?"

 

"if we are to make it there before _____'s door reaches there, which we have to, otherwise the demon fusion could rip the rest of Gaster from her and become a god.... I will need your holepunch."

 

Ink stepped back in shock. "how did you even know i had that? and i wouldn't let you even for a SECOND have access to-"

 

"calm down, ink." Error raised his hands in defense. "i don't need it, i just need you to use it. i won't do anything tricky, i just want to end the doomsday universe."

 

Ink calmed down at that. "fine. and you are collecting the sanses from the universes _____ visits, right? you do know she has most of the fragments now, right?"

 

" _yes_ , i am aware." Error was annoyed. "but i can tell that she has two more to go before she needs the final fused fragment in the doomsday. she should take a while with those. the seal on that universe is strong, too, so i highly doubt that the door would take her there until it was the last piece she needs."

 

"good." Ink withdrew his brush, and addressed the captive Sanses (and Papyrus) strung on the strings. "i apologize for not freeing you, but we will need your assistance in this, as you can imagine. we cannot have you seeing the monitors, also, so please be patient."

 

Fell shrugged. "what the fuck's a few more days strung up like dolls? or hours... or... whatever. i don't fuckin' know how time works here."

 

Error chuckled to himself.

 

"well, i'll go get the next sans, and then we can meet back here with your help, ink. then we can go kill this thing."

 

Ink's eyes narrowed. "i can't believe i'm working with you on this... but see you soon."

 

He reached out with a brush, and drew a door with a handle, and on the center of it, a scythe. He then turned the handle, and stepped through the cartoon door into darkness. The door shut with a soft click, and disappeared.

 

"adios." Error shuffled back to the monitors, to check on things. _____ stirred in her sleep, but was not awake. He saw Outertale Sans on another monitor, trudging through the space-dust on one of his insomniac walks after a nightmare. Wonderful, this would be easy.

 

He spun to the four strung up, and walked towards then.

 

"be good while i'm gone, kids, no fighting." He smirked.

 

"safe travels, glitchy." Dancer called.

 

Error tightened the strings on his soul as he spun away, smiling in joy as he heard his grunt of pain.

 

He snapped, and a rift roared open like a maw before him.

 

He stepped through.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have some MORE plot twists! ;D
> 
> This is the song I played on repeat while writing the space-void with the majestic, billowing Gastershard. It is really just a beautiful song for Outertale, I highly recommend! Also, can't stop listening to things by Rhian Sheehan...  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlZoFGj-zqI
> 
> So... yeah. Also, I made a collection of fanarts! Here:  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/9977105
> 
> Also, shoutouts to InGlorionAmy (Ammy here) for some beautiful Outertale shots!  
> https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ4rhMXjpdq/  
> https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ4r5iwDCGN/
> 
> And also to Somanoko, who keeps making wonderful designs of reader wearing Gaster's clothes- good inspiration, which I will shortly put to use. ;)  
> http://justfiyen.deviantart.com/art/A-pleasure-to-meet-you-665893648  
> http://justfiyen.deviantart.com/art/Some-Expressions-Practice-665247266
> 
> Will post another chapter soon, likely, have it all fleshed out. I got on a chapter-blocking-out-roll today, but actually writing the chapters takes a while too.... *frustrated sigh*
> 
> But I hope you're ready for some *excitement* because god knows reader's had it easy for far too long.


	52. The Wrong Eyes

Your eyes blinked open. You felt strangely rested, but you felt like you didn't sleep for long.

 

You checked your phone's clock- it read 5:32 AM. Well, that was a good sleep. And you weren't tired anymore.

 

You sat up, and remembered as you felt your skin brush the sheets you were just in your underwear and bra.

 

(Well... what to do now, Gaster? Shall we continue on and search for your still-sappy fragment that secretly, desperately wants to be remembered?) You mused. You could feel him writhe in embarrassment.

 

(... _____, please, do not tell anyone of the extents of my goals...)

 

You laughed, and flopped back down in the bed, your hair sprawling.

 

(Oh, Gast. Don't worry, your secrets are safe with me.) You thought. (As mine are with you.)

 

He acknowledged this with a kind of slow nod (mentally). You didn't know how you could feel a slow nod, but apparently you could.

 

(But yeah, you really are a sap, dude.) He flustered, begrudgingly. (But don't worry- once we get you all together again, everyone will remember you. And you can do all kinds of amazing stuff for the world. I know you will.)

 

He beamed happiness at the thought. (Thank you, _____, for believing in ...) He paused.

(I'm being a-)

 

(Yep, straight up sap, right there.)

 

He sighed as you giggled to yourself in bed. You kind of liked the lowness of your voice. It was... comforting? A bit? You didn't get why. But it was.

 

(... shall we get dressed?) Gaster suggested.

 

You rocked your body up again, and looked around, seeing your shirt and pants and jacket on the floor. Also, your shoes and socks.

 

(Yeah. But... all my stuff doesn't fit well anymore. I can try to find some bigger stuff in my phone...)

 

You picked your phone up from the nightstand and browsed through your clothes dimbox.

You picked out your largest sweater you brought, and your loosest pair of sweatpants- the ones that you used for pajamas whenever you were feeling especially in need of comfort.

You hopped out of bed, and pulled on your pants. They were still capris on you. The sweater also left your forearms uncovered, and was so short it looked like a bad crop-top.

 

You sighed in frustration.

 

You packed your old tank top and pants into your phone, and stuffed back on your tight socks and shoes.

 

(I... may have a solution to this.)

 

(Don't tell me... there's a clothes shop nearby...) You ventured a guess.

 

(Not quite. In our universe, when I disappeared, Sans was the one who took my belongings for storage. In our universe, he stored them in the extra closets in his workshop, in his house. My guess is that this same thing happened in this universe, and we may be able to find fitting clothes there.)

 

You thought about this. (So, we borrow from this universe's Gaster's closet... in Sans' house.)

 

(Yes.)

 

(Cool. Do you think he would mind?)

 

(Do you mean this Gaster or this Sans?)

 

(Uh... either?)

 

(... I doubt if this Gaster would mind, and Sans probably hasn't touched any of the clothing in years. It would fit you, for sure.)

 

(Hmm....) You looked down at your poor clothes stretched over your too-big frame.

 

(Let's do it.)

 

 

In a short while, you had snuck out of the Inn, gently creaking down the stairs and out the door. You now trudged through the spacedust, it crunching softly underfoot.

 

You once again looked at the swirling sky around you. It was breathtaking, no matter how many times you looked at it. You were lucky, you thought, to be able to be here. To be able to see any of this. It was like a dream.

 

Well, a dream which you could likely die in. But still, a good dream. But real. And you were bringing Gaster back by doing it. Which was amazing.

 

This whole thing was amazing.

 

(All this criticism about me being a 'sap' and here you are, being just as sappy.) Gaster was laughing emotionally.

 

(Ohhh, hush.) You pursed your lips. (I'm just geeking out over how cool this all is. You get emotionally sappy, you cinnamon roll you.)

 

(... why are you calling me a pastry.)

 

You cracked up, mid stride, covering your mouth with the inside of your elbow, trying to shush the noise. It wasn't helping much.

 

(.... that doesn't answer my question.)

 

You breathed in and out and calmed down, and resumed walking.

 

(Oh my god, Gast, it's a figure of speech. It means-)

 

You saw something move.

 

It was dark, and had red, wide eyes.

 

It stood beside a rock about 30 feet in front of you. From its outline, it looked much like Frisk. But the eyes, they were wrong. And it was purely shadow.

 

You stopped in your tracks, and did nothing. Your heart began to pound.

 

You stared at it, and it stared at you. You could feel darkness emanate from it.

 

 

(_____, do you remember my fragment's goal of destroying... what it seemed to call, the 'child of shadow'?)

 

(Fuck. You're right. This is it.)

 

You stared back at it, your heart rising in your chest, beating faster.

 

Suddenly, it smiled at you, and dissolved into thin air, tinny laughter ringing in your ears.

 

You stared at the spot it had vanished from.

 

"Fuck." You audibly spoke, unable to keep it inside.

 

You summoned hands. They were poised at your sides. They were also bigger than your own were now, by about twofold. They glowed slightly white.

 

You stepped forward hesitantly.

 

(I'm gonna get to Sans' house as fast as humanly possible. Monsterly possible? I don't care, whichever is faster.)

 

(Take the tunnels, then.)

 

(Right.)

 

You veered off the path and into the stone igloo-like opening of the tunnel. You then had no idea what happened, but you took a few steps inside, and were suddenly at another opening to the tunnel. You emerged, and were on the other side of the town. You thanked the god of whatever universe this was that these tunnels existed.

 

You walked to Sans' and Papyrus' house. It looked like you remembered, but just out of the asteroid rock. Instead of christmas lights, there were just glowing plants dotting it, naturally.

 

(Where is this workshop? Can we get in, or should I find and ask Sans?)

 

(I can get us in. It's probably best if we just enter now- he likely won't notice that anything is missing. It's around the back to the left.)

 

You followed his directions, keeping your summoned hands armed in case that shadow thing showed up again.

Sure enough, there was an inconspicuous door at the back, barely noticeable, save for a doorknob.

Gaster moved one of the hands to the doorknob, and held it there, and a tendril of energy crept out, and into the key hole. It clicked, and the door creaked open.

You stepped inside, and the light came on. It reminded you of the room that your Sans kept the portal machine in your universe- and sure enough, it was there, in the corner, with the cloth over it. Blueprints also lined the walls, and closets and drawers.

You turned and locked the door, double checking its lock, before turning back and opening the closets.

 

The first closet held a series of black and white sweaters and black pants, and the next closet held black shoes in a box and one very, very long black cloak.

From the feelings you got from Gaster, these seemed familiar to him.

 

(Ah, yes, these are them.)

 

(Have a thing for the monochromatic, Gast?)

 

(.... Yes, I do.) He was defensive. You laughed at him, and noted that you liked it too.

 

You pulled out a white sweater. Immediately upon touching it, you realized how soft it was.

 

You held it in front of you. It... seemed big.

 

(Excellent.)

 

You set the sweater down on the counter and pulled off your too-small parka and sweater, and then slid on the big white one.

 

(Ohhh my gooosssshhhh Gaster...)

 

You nearly passed out from how soft it was. The ribs in the sweater came up to form a turtleneck top that covered your neck and part of your chin. It also was incredibly warm, you noticed. It was indeed a bit big on you, but you preferred this over small. It was also pretty much the softest thing you ever wore.

 

Gaster was pleased to feel the sweater as well. You could feel his sense of familiarity and comfort.

 

(Dear GOD this is comfy. You may never get this thing back after you get your body back.)

 

He laughed at that. (It isn't really mine, only a different version of mine, you know.)

 

You smiled. (Right.)

 

You then pulled out some black pants, which were also too big, but fit right on your hips. They weren't as soft as the sweater, but were comfortable.

 

You then put on some new shoes. Black ones. Plain and simple. Leather, you thought. They fit pretty well, and kept the long pants from skimming the ground just barely.

 

Finally, you pulled out the cloak.

 

(This is what you normally wear, right? In all the dreams I've seen you, you have a white turtleneck until here,) you gestured to your sternum, (and the rest of you is black.)

 

(Yes, I do wear a black coat often.)

 

You pulled it off the hanger, and began to open it to put it on, when you noticed something.

The inside of the coat, it was ... sparkling.

 

You opened it wider, turning it inside out. Sure enough, the inside of it was lined with space. It shimmered with iridescence in purples and blues, with white stars flickering in and out, not unlike glitter, but you could tell they were actually twinkling stars.

 

(Heck YEAH we've got ourselves a SPACE CAPE.)

 

You threw it around your shoulders and put your arms in. You looked down at yourself, and sure enough, it dragged on the ground, but damn if you didn't look cool.

You pulled out your phone, and turned it to selfie mode.

Your dark eyes, your mostly white hair, the cozy turtleneck, and the huge space cape...

 

You looked fantastic.

 

(So stylish, Gast. I'm jealous.)

 

(It is a bit different than my version, but... are you really going to call it a 'space cape'?)

 

(YES.)

 

You put away your old clothes into your dimboxes while your phone was out. You also begrudgingly put away the space cape into the dimbox, knowing that it would be a terrible tripping hazard.

 

With everything neatly put away and the room looking seemingly undisturbed, you went to the door, and unlocked it. You summoned hands, just in case. You opened, and shut the door behind you.

 

Nothing was there.

 

"Whew..." You breathed a sigh of relief at the lack of demonic child-thing.

 

You stepped out, away from the door, and walked quietly around to the corner of the house.

You looked up from the space dust, and caught a gaze.

 

 

In front of you, about 20 feet away, stood Sans.

 

Well, Space Sans.

 

He wore a puffier jacket, with fluffy lining, and gold sleeves, with navy blue body and shorts. His slippers had stars on them.

 

But his expression was blank. He regarded you, with an emotionless mouth, wide eyes, pinpricks of light barely there. He seemed too shocked to say anything. He just stared at you.

 

You stared back at him, coming to a standstill.

 

The two of you continued to stare at each other.

 

And then, you heard something.

 

 

A familiar, hideously glitchy roar began.

 

A white crack stretched outwards behind Sans.

 

You immediately shot out your hands towards Sans. He looked afraid, but did not evade you.

 

You grabbed him by the the jacket, under his arms, and pulled him back with as much speed as you could muster. He shouted in surprise. You slowed the speed down as he neared you, and you set him down behind you. This all happened incredibly fast, in a second.

 

You looked down behind you to see if he was ok, but his gaze was directed forwards.

 

You too looked forwards, to see the crack open like a mouth and a dark figure emerge from it.

 

It was oh-too-familiar. Red and black bones, black hoodie, red eyesockets...

 

With a snap, the figure closed the rift and the roaring quieted.

 

 

He grinned at the two of you.

 

You grimaced back.

 

Your white eyes flared to life.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :DDDDDDD
> 
> I'm going to regret staying up this late to write, but damn, I had to write this chapter.
> 
> Heck YEAH we've got ourselves a SPACE CAPE....
> 
> And an Error on our hands.


	53. What Just Happened?

He grinned at you, his distorted hands in his distorted pockets.

 

"hey there, ____. i'm gonna need to borrow your pal sans there for a bit."

 

Your one eye narrowed tightly, the other widened even further.

 

"Like HELL I'll let you take another!" you shouted at him.

 

He laughed, in his scratchy, awful laughter.

 

"you're so stupid, you've already helped me take another." He grinned. "and another. and another. why make this one so much harder?"

 

You conjured hands.

 

"What?!"

 

"everywhere your little door takes you, you leave a rift for me to utilize. you've made it pretty convenient to recruit help, i gotta say." He wore a shit-eating grin. "thanks for that, buddy."

 

"... what the hell does this guy mean..." Sans spoke low and quiet behind you. "and why does he look vaguely like me?"

 

"it's complicated... mostly, I have no idea."

 

Error shouted back at you, and began walking, circling you, to which you and Sans also began moving in a circle, mirroring him.

"you really can't help it, ____, helping me. and, well, helping the universe."

 

You glared at him and his vague words.

 

"but you are ultimately hindering yourself."

 

"What the hell does that mean?"

 

In a rush, he stretches out his hand, and blue strings come flying towards you.

 

In that moment, you reach out a hand and grab the strings, pulling them down. You can feel them etch pain on your summoned hand, and you grunt.

 

He falls forward, but catches himself, and severs the threads.

He eyes you with interest as he regains his balance.

 

"you've gotten pretty fiesty, huh? or is that just gaster's doing?"

 

You swore if you glared any harder maybe he would get injured.

 

"you're... bound with gaster?"

 

You looked down to see Sans look up at you with wide eyes.

 

"Yeah, the one from my universe, though, not yours."

 

"'your universe'?" His eyes widen further.

 

"Like I said, it's really freaking complicated..."

 

The glitchy Sans spoke up again.

 

"you also might was well give up on collecting his fragments, 'cause you won't find them in time."

 

"Stop being so fucking VAGUE and tell me what you mean!"

 

Questions raced in your head. How were you hindering yourself? Why were you running out of time? Where was Sans? Did he take the other Sanses you met too?

 

"i need this sans to combat a horrible, horrible mistake in the continuum."

 

"what the fuck does that mean?!" Sans this time shouted in anger.

 

"... SANS?" A familiar voice called out.

 

You all turned, but the glitch-Sans turned faster, and his threads shot out.

 

As soon as your eyes focused, you saw Papyrus pulled from the porch of the house towards the dark Sans by blue strings.

 

You lunged out a hand, and you felt a surge of blue magic beside you.

 

 

But the figure held Papyrus, dressed in a pajamas with stars and the words "SPACE GUY" scrawled across it, suspended in the air by strings, his other hand aimed at his chest.

 

"easy now, kids, don't want paps to get hurt."

 

Both you and Sans calmed down your magic, but were irate.

 

"i'll go with you. just let him go." Sans walked forward.

 

The glitch's eyes lit up, and a series of glowing ERRORs appeared and disappeared around his frame.

 

" **excellent!** "

 

He tossed Papyrus aside, and then shot strings out to Sans, who he pulled into the air beside him. Sans groaned in pain, but did not (could not?) move.

 

You ran over to Papyrus, who was barely stirring from the space dust-coated ground.

 

You heard the glitching laughter again.

 

 

"hey, ______, you might as well get used to being your mutant self. you're not gonna find the final fragment."

 

He snapped, and the sky split open behind him in a roar.

 

His eyes narrowed.

 

 

 

" _i'll make sure of that._ "

 

 

The opening closed around him and Sans.

 

You were left on the ground, kneeling, next to a blank-faced Papyrus.

 

"WHAT...."

 

 

A tear formed in his eye socket. His voice quieted.

 

 

 

"_____, what just happened?..."

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 400 kudos! Woo!
> 
> To celebrate, let me tell you all a secret.
> 
> I have written the guidelines for every chapter between now and the end, half written some.
> 
> I know what will happen.
> 
> And I gotta say, it's gonna happen soon. And fast.  
> And you're probably not gonna like all of it.
> 
> But it's still gonna happen.
> 
> Buckle up, ______. 
> 
> You're running out of time.
> 
> It's gonna be a crazy ride.


	54. Don't Remind Me

You knelt beside Papyrus, and looked at his panicked face.

 

"Papyrus... I'm so sorry.... I couldn't stop him..."

 

"Did... he just take my brother?" His voice was quiet, and his gaze made your souls sink.

 

"Yes, but I swear to you, I'll bring him back." Your determination rose in your chest. "I'm sure of it."

 

He stared into the distance of space. He gathered himself, and as he stood up, you saw an orange tear fall from his eye into the space dust below. You too stood up.

 

"I ... BELIVE IN YOU." His voice was back to his normal volume, and his face stern.

 

You matched his stern gaze. You noticed that his face was only slightly higher than your own.

 

"Thank you."

 

He scratched his bony head, with a pensive look. "WHO WAS THAT STRANGE MONSTER, THOUGH? THEY... LOOKED LIKE HIM, BUT ALSO LIKE... A BAD VERSION..."

 

You grimaced. "Yeah, I've run into him before, and he's done this to more than just your Sa- ... more monsters." You corrected yourself. Telling him about the universes wasn't going to help you get anything done faster.

 

"DO YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND HIM?" He cast a questioning look at you. You were amazed that he was able to be so composed after something like that happening.

 

"Not exactly. But I do know what would help." You thought about the Gaster fragment. You mentally told Gaster to search for it. It still was in the distance, the same place you had noticed it before. It reacted to your presence by cutting off the connection. Huh.

 

Regardless, it was in the direction of what you guessed was the capitol.

 

"I need to get to the capitol as soon as possible."

 

He nodded, noticing your determined expression. "I WILL CALL A FRIEND TO ESCORT YOU THERE. I WOULD DO IT MYSELF, BUT... SHE WOULD BE BETTER, BEING THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD."

 

Ah. Good. Undyne. Maybe this one wouldn't try to kill you.

You nodded.

 

Papyrus pulled out his phone, and dialed a number.

"UNDYNE, I REQUEST YOUR ASSISTANCE ... I HAVE A FRIEND IN AN EMERGENCY, AND SANS HAS BEEN... KIDNAPPED."

 

You heard loud shouting, on the verge of screaming on the other end of the phone. You couldn't decipher them, or maybe you were too afraid to.

 

"NO, IT'S NOT... IT'S ..." His eyes teared up slightly. "I THINK MY FRIEND IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN FIND HIM."

 

The shouting on the other line continued.

 

".... I WILL SEE YOU SOON, THEN. GOODBYE."

 

He pulled his phone away, and ended the call, putting it back in his pajama pockets. Why he had his phone in his pajamas, you couldn't guess. He turned back to you.

 

"SHE WILL BE HERE ANY MINUTE. DO YOU NEED ANY SUPPLIES?"

 

You thought about this. What would you need that you didn't have? What were you even going to face? You didn't have a clue.

"I should be good.... I think. I just need to... find someone to help me. They live in the capitol. They might know where to find Sans..."

 

"I DO HOPE YOU FIND THEM QUICKLY. I ... do not think that monster had good intentions." His voice was lowered with concern.

 

You crossed your arms and stared angrily at the spot where the glitching Sans had stood. Error. You were going to call him Error, for the Errors that glitch around his stupid head.

You narrowed your eyes at the spot. "I will find him and Sans, I swear it."

 

You could feel Papyrus's gaze as you stared intently at that spot. Your mind raced with the questions that Error placed on you.

 

... He said you were running out of time, and ultimately hindering yourself.

 

That you should... get used to being...

 

_"hey, ______, you might as well get used to being your mutant self. you're not gonna find the final fragment."_

 

... your 'mut-... no, you hated that thought.

 

There was _nothing_ wrong with you. _Nothing_ wrong with Gaster.

 

You felt anger bubble up inside your chest.

 

How could HE dare to call YOU a mutant-

 

(_____, don't let yourself get angered by his words.) He was giving you soothing emotions- calmness, and pacification. (He doesn't deserve it, and being angry will not help us.)

 

You stared angrily into space. Its beauty did nothing to pacify you.

Actually, it just made you angrier. Its beauty was misplaced in this horrific set of events.

 

(He deserves... _something_.) You put malicious intent on the last word. (I don't want to give him even the slightest satisfaction in letting him see my anger, but that doesn't mean I can just... hide it.)

 

Gaster thought about this. (What did he mean by running out of time, I wonder?)

 

You felt a slight tinge of panic.

 

(He also said he would see to it that I didn't find your last fragment. So if he was hinting that we were running out of time... then... we have to hurry. We have to beat him to it.)

 

(That seems like the best-)

 

"______, IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?"

 

You turned quickly to see a concerned Papyrus eyeing your face.

 

"Y... yeah, sorry, I probably was making a lot of faces. Just thinking to myself."

 

His expression visibly relaxed.

 

"OK, I AM GLAD. THOUGH, I MUST SAY... YOUR FACE... REMINDS ME... OF..." He looked confused, as if trying to remember...

 

Suddenly, you hear a distant scream, growing in intensity.

 

"nnnnNNNNGG _GGAAAAAHHHH_!"

 

You and Papyrus both turn towards the voice, and see a figure clad in a suit of armor, red ponytail flying in the not-wind of space, a gold, fluffy cape trailing, streaking towards you, clutching a glowing blue spear.

 

She leapt from a slightly higher rock on the asteroid cluster, and shouted mightily as she soared, landing right in front of the two of you. Her unpatched eye was glimmering yellow, and the patch had a yellow star emblazoned on the black fabric.

 

She stared intently at you, holding her spear, not at you, but still ready for any sort of emergency. She was dressed in a plated armor top, with armored pants that seemed to reflect the stars around you.

 

"Who is THIS strange punk, Paps?" She pointed her spear at you. Ah, it was only a matter of time, you thought. Or maybe Gaster thought. The lines were getting blurred in your head nowadays.

 

"THIS IS ______, THEY ARE THE ONE WHO NEEDS HELP GETTING TO THE CAPITOL TO SAVE SANS."

 

You nodded intently. "I need to get there as fast as possible. Time is of the essence."

 

She make [a very, very strange face that looked on the border of hysterical](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/u1HDTlu1g04/maxresdefault.jpg).

"Well then WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO?!!!"

 

In a split second, you were grabbed by the torso, and hoisted up on her shoulder on your stomach. Before you could protest, you were already mid flight- she ran so fast it seemed like it was defying the laws of physics.

 

You watched as Papyrus shrunk into the distance, and you could do nothing but watch things pass by as you were carried at what might be close to mach 1.

 

She once again jumped, and you cried out.

But the light gravity made your fall relatively soft, as you heard her feet thunk on a wooden surface.

 

She hoisted you off her shoulder, and smiled brightly at you. She was actually the same height as you, so you looked her directly in the eye.

You looked around, and you were on a ... boat? With intricate carvings in the wood, depicting various constellations and their beings attached to them. The boat was also situated in what seemed to be a stream of a flowing nebula-like river.

 

Also on the boat was a hooded figure in a purple cloak, one that glimmered and shifted like gasses of space.

They reminded you exactly of the Riverperson from the swapped universe.

 

"Hi," you spoke, "Can you get us to the capitol as soon as possible?"

 

The River (Nebula?) Person nodded. "I can only get you as far as Hotrock. Then, we're off..."

 

The boat jostled, and suddenly was shooting forward, not unlike a rocket ship.

 

The nebula around the boat parted and rippled off the back end like water- it was beautiful, but you didn't want yourself to think about that right now. No, you didn't have time for admiring the scenery. You had to beat Error.

 

You stood on the boat, between Undyne and the Nebula Person, looking out into space passing by. Your white hair fluttered in the low gravity combined with the acceleration of the boat.

 

On the other side of the boat was what appeared to be the space version of Waterfall... With strips of stars, gasses, and glowing things flowing along like rivers between the asteroids.

 

If you had to guess, it might have been called Starfall.

 

No, this was no good- you shut your eyes.

 

You had to find his fragment. No distractions. You had to convince it to join you. Error sounded serious with his threats of making sure you wouldn't find it.

 

But... it wasn't the fact that you would be stuck with Gaster forever that made you rushed.

 

It was that Gaster wouldn't get a chance to be his whole self again.

 

Not after everything you both went through, not after all the help you received...

 

(... _____...) Gaster thought your name, sounding melancholy.

 

(Yeah, Gast...?)

 

(... I ... what if we are stuck together... forev-)

 

(Gaster.)

 

He was silent from your interruption.

 

(Listen, we are going to beat that creepy bastard to it. You're gonna be alive again. Don't start thinking like we won't. Any doubts will only slow us down.)

 

He pondered your words.

 

"Uh, _____... are you OK?"

 

Undyne's voice stunned you conscious, eyes snapping open to see the swirling sky around you, and her concerned face peering at yours.

 

"Yeah... I am. Mostly."

You looked down at the nebula ripples, unable to keep her gaze. You wanted to tell someone what was going on. Anyone. But you knew your explanation would take time. And be useless unless you explained in full detail. You didn't have time to even half explain it.

 

"I'm glad to hear it. You looked kind of ... sick there, with your eyes closed." She crossed her arms. "Who do you need to see in the Capitol?"

 

"... I have... a friend, who will help me... with their power, I can leave and look for Sans and Err... his captor."

 

You hated having to correct yourself. You hated having to lie, telling half-truths. But it was so much faster than telling the truth.

 

Her eyes shut slightly, as if in pain, when you mentioned Sans.

"Is there anything I can do to help you find him?"

 

You shook your head, looking down.

"The person who took him away has powers that allow him to leave this place. The only way I can reach him... that anyone can reach him, is if I leave too."

 

"'This place'? You mean... the asteroid field?!" Her eyes lit up. "You can LEAVE here?!"

 

Your face contorted in worry. You were saying too much.

"I'm not from here to begin with. I am only passing through." You noticed the wide-eyed bewilderment and confusion cross her face. "I can't explain it all, but... trust me when I say that I'm going to everything I can to bring him back."

 

She seemed more satisfied with this answer, and huffed, and then suddenly punched your shoulder.

 

"nNYeoww, what was that for?" You held your shoulder. It was slightly throbbing, but didn't hurt too badly.

 

She gave you a sharp-toothed grin. "You better bring him back, punk, or else I'm gonna hunt you down, wherever the fuck you are, and make you regret giving us false hopes!!"

 

You gave a wary smile back.

 

"Tralala..." The Nebula Person spoke suddenly.

 

"Humans, monsters... flowers... _and you_."

 

You turned to look at them. You could feel their gaze, but could see nothing under their hood. It was like they were looking deeper into you. Like Sans did, when he was looking at your soul.

 

It made you feel uneasy, that statement. That there were categories, and for one, flowers were their own... and that you were another.

 

What did they mean?

 

Undyne too looked confused, and eyed you cautiously. She looked about to ask something.

Before she could, the boat came to a stop, and the Nebula Person spoke up again.

 

"Tralala, come again soon..."

 

The two of you stepped off the boat and onto the rock before you- a series of them floated nearby, but what was very apparent was the glowing reddish- yellow light that emerged from under them. It made the space around you feel considerably warmer.

 

Undyne walked quickly forward, gesturing with a conjured spear forward. You followed her quick pace.

 

You both hopped across the asteroids that lined your path, and eventually came to a metal chute which looked like a high-tech elevator, yellow light running through it like veins.

 

As you approached, the doors opened, and the two of you walked inside. Undyne pressed a button with the tip of her spear.

 

The doors shut with a _whirp_ and suddenly, you felt movement. The yellow veins inside began pulsing.

 

"Where in the capitol do you need to go?"

 

You asked Gaster to reach out, and he did- the fragment was, as far as you could tell, it was at the end of the asteroid field- where, you knew from Gaster's knowledge, the castle would be.

 

"The castle."

 

Her face was confused, but she didn't say anything.

The elevator slowed, and the doors opened.

 

The two of you stepped out onto the same kind of hot asteroids. You could see a field below you in the distance, back where you came from. They were tiny and far away, but you didn't have time to ponder the beauty of it all as Undyne turned and the two of you walked into the lobby of a shining, iridescent building.

 

There was a statue of a robot, blowing beautiful nebulous light and gasses from its mouth that swirled upwards and out of the building. It had a glass roof, with a hole for the gas to leave. You could see the starry sky beyond the glass.

 

Undyne led you to an elevator in the corner. Several monsters were around the lobby, but none seemed to pay you much mind. They even seemed a bit frightened of Undyne, and shied away as she came closer.

 

She pressed the elevator button, and waited. It looked like questions were eating at her. She finally gave in.

 

"So... this friend who is in the castle... must be pretty important... to be there..."

 

You nodded. The door dinged, and the two of you stepped inside.

The doors closed.

 

"If you're not from here, then... how do you know them?"

 

You contorted your face as you thought of a response.

They were... a part of you? A friend that got lost and ended up here? Yeah, that sounded good.

 

"They are from where I am from, too, but they... got lost. I have to bring them home."

 

Undyne nodded. "You have to save your friend, and then you can save Sans. I think I get it."

 

The elevator seemed to go on forever. You decided to break the silence.

 

"Thank you for helping me get here, Undyne..."

 

She grinned at you. "No problem. Not everyday I meet a new face."

 

She then looked at yours more intently. Something seemed to flash in her eyes, like she was searching for something.

 

"You know, you remind me of... someone..."

 

Oh, no, she was trying to remember Gaster....

 

Then a look of pain crossed her face, and her hand went to her brow.

 

"Don't ... think about it. It will hurt you." Your hand went to her armored shoulder.

 

Her eyebrow raised, and she gritted her teeth.

"If... you say so, punk."

 

The doors finally whirped open, and the two of you stepped into the dark stone hall. It was illuminated from above by bright galaxies swirling overhead- there was no need for a roof in space, after all.

 

She lead you to a grand door, and the two of you walked through it, to see a field of golden, glowing flowers growing on the mossy dark stone. A taller figure stood, watering the plants gently, humming. White, luminous horns poked out from the top of a huge cape, made much like your space cape, except the outside was composed of a beautiful tapestry of light and color of space.

 

"Your majesty." Undyne knelt.

 

You too knelt, feeling a bit out of place, but something about it felt familiar. Like Gaster had done it.

 

The figure turned, a smile on his face. It was Asgore, king of the monsters. He set down his watering can.

 

You felt Gaster search for his fragment. It was past this room- through the corridor. It was close to what Gaster could sense was the barrier.

 

"Undyne, it's a pleasure to see you!" He smiled, and walked up to her. "Please, rise, and you as well, ..... what is your name?"

 

He put a paw on your shoulder, and you looked up to see his kind expression. You rose.

 

"I'm  ______." You bowed. "But I am afraid I don't have time for formalities. A monster was taken, and in order to save him I need to go to the barrier."

 

His eyebrows raised in concern.

 

"Oh dear, in that case, please- though, I do not know how the barrier will help you..."

 

You bowed again, in thanks. "It will, I am sure. Thank you." You walked quickly past him, and called back, "I will return shortly."

 

And with that, you left Undyne and a confused looking king.

 

 

But what you didn't see, was that the king's eyes had small tears in them, ones that he didn't understand, from seeing you walk away.

 

 

He didn't remember why he was so sad at the sight.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's painful to try to remember someone you've both lost and forgotten.
> 
> Also, thank you to you artists who continue to make beautiful fanarts for this! You all should check them out, they're in the Part 2 to this series, in a collection.
> 
> I'm on break now, so chapters should start to steadily flow here this week.   
> I hope you all are ready, cause I sure am not holding back on the feels. ;D


	55. The Hour of Departure

You walk as fast as you can through the corridor. You can see from the sky above that there is a wall of light ahead.

 

You turn the corner and come face to face with a giant, glowing, steady wall of what looks like northern lights. You reach to touch it, but it is staticky and hard, impenetrable.

 

The castle also ends here- the edge of the asteroid it floats on is cliff-like, and below is the abyss of space.

 

You turn to look on either side, and to your left is a dark figure sitting on the edge of the asteroid. Its cape, although not as big as the one in your dream, drifts weightlessly, shifting its edges as it floats absently in space.

 

You see the side of his face, as he stares into the distance, towards the barrier. He looks wistful.

 

You walk quickly over to him.

 

"Looks like you've achieved becoming corporeal here, so you can cross that one off your list, and come with me to do better things, right?"

You were determined to make this conversation as short as possible. You remembered how long the confrontations took before... you didn't have time for it again.

 

The fragment sighed, and rested his chin on his hand, his elbow on his knee.

"I'm not corporeal. No monster here can see me, only you can, apparently."

 

You sigh in frustration, and sit down beside the fragment, cross legged, not wishing to tempt fate by dangling your legs over the chasm of space.

"Listen. Gaster. We don't have much time. If you don't come with me and the rest of yourself as soon as possible, you might never be totally complete. Part of you might get destroyed forever by some creep, the same creep who stole the Sans you're friends with, from our universe." You stared intently at the side of his face. "We both know you ... want more than to just do amazing things. You want to help people. And the best way to do that is by being your whole self."

 

He finally turns to you, his face skeptical.

"If my whole self is so capable, then why..."

He turned away.

 

"Why what?" Your voice was eager.

 

"Why did I give up? I gave up on my research on determination, on breaking the barrier, on... _everything_..." His voice was harsh and scathing. "Because I simply was too _weak_ to face the consequences."

 

"I... can't answer that for you. But I do know that everyone goes through really bad times in their life, monster or human. And that giving up once isn't necessarily the end of everything. Please, have faith in yourself. You can do amazing things, and you can be ... happy again."

 

His face turned back to yours. The lights in his eyes were bright, but pained. The soft cracks that ran along his features mimicked your own.

You both stared in each other's eyes, both searching for something.

 

You broke the silence.

"Gaster, I know that you want to be together again. You want to be remembered." You smiled sadly.

"Nobody wants to be forgotten, everyone wants to be known for helping people. But staying broken, in pieces... it isn't going to help you. You, in this fragment, might posses more drive and ambition than all the rest of you combined- but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do those things with kindness, or with humor, or with other characteristics of yourself.

You can't forget what you've already done- and how many you have already helped as a whole person."

 

He stared at you as you spoke. He regarded your words with more... study than you were expecting. He watched your mouth move, your expressions change, his own changing in response.

And once you finished, he continued staring.

 

You stared back, getting a bit flustered and frustrated at his lack of response.

"Well?!"

 

"You're really passionate about putting me back together, aren't you?"

 

You smirked. "If I wasn't, why would I be sitting on the edge of a castle in space in an alternate universe? Come on, you're supposed to be the genius here..." You shoved his shoulder lightly.

 

He took the shove with amusement, and smirked back.

"You're a very ambitious human, _____. I find that quality to be-"

 

"Hey, don't get sappy on me now, I get enough of that from the rest of you! Are you going to fuse with me or not?"

 

He nodded, with a surprised expression.

 

"Then let's get going! We've got a bunch of Sanses to save."

 

His eyes lit up, and he grinned, looking very eager.

"Let's."

 

Before you, the cape that was drifting from his shoulders enveloped him, and the cape grew darker, and smaller, and darker, until it condensed and flashed into a white shard.

 

It floated closer to your seated body, and you willed your soul and the attached shards of Gaster's out in front of you. The shard floated close, and then you pulled it all inwards, and the fragment latched into place, filling most of the rest of the one side of his soul.

 

Once it made contact, you were flooded with a burning sense of passion, of ambition, of confidence and willpower, as well as significant magical energy. You felt your body and bones begin to lengthen further, and shift, and your face change more. The new clothes you had borrowed from Gaster's wardrobe were now better-fitting, but not completely the right size.

 

You opened your eyes, and saw white tendrils creep from your eyes, illuminating your vision.

 

Your magical energy surged- you had never felt this powerful before.

 

You had also never felt this **determined**.

 

You stood from your seated position by rocking to your hands, and jumping up, landing lightly despite your tall, thin frame.

You looked around. You considered your options.

 

Your top priority was speed, and getting back to the door.

 

You had an idea. It might have been yours, might have been Gaster's.

 

Either way, two large hands were summoned at your feet, which you stepped onto. Two other holed hands appeared and gripped your shoulders from behind, stabilizing you.

 

Then, you willed the hands upward, and forward.

 

Momentarily, you were soaring over the walls of the castle, and through space. You willed yourself faster, and you zoomed over the Core, then over Hotrock.

 

You were going very, very fast, and your white hair was whipped backwards, fluttering.

 

You saw below you as the asteroids containing the land of Starfall whizzed past, and then the giant chunk of Carvedin, and then the sea of tinier asteroids covered in space dust.

 

You spotted in the distance your door, hovering above the asteroid you left. You could see your footprints in the dust leading away from it.

 

You gently lowered to the ground, and stepped off the hands.

 

As you stepped down, you realized... you needed something. Something familiar.

 

You pulled out your phone, and summoned what was stored as a SPACE CAPE. You pressed the screen, and in front of you appeared the very thing. You grabbed it, and threaded your long, lanky arms through the sleeves. You straightened your collar the way you... er, Gaster, liked it, but left it unclasped.

 

While you had your phone out, you went to turn the camera to selfie mode-

 

But wait, you didn't have enough time...

 

You almost put it away, but then...

 

Your curiosity got the better of both of you.

 

You opened the app to see your new face and body.

 

If your last eyes were dark where they used to be white, they were now dark voids, like chasms, in your face- the right even more smashed, the eyebrow perpetually concerned, the right wide open and exuberant.

 

The cracks were, of course, bigger, splintering, the lower one covering most of your left jaw in veins of black, continuing (you were sure, though you couldn't see through your turtleneck) to your sternum. The right cracks disseminated from your right smashed eye, splintering both sideways and upwards, disappearing under your now entirely-white hair.

 

Your nose was also, now, entirely replaced by a triangular hole, like a skeleton's. You had no nose left.

 

Your body was taller, and broader, with wide shoulders. This was the most masculine you had ever looked, and the most strong. The cape now fit you without dragging (barely), and your fingers were long and slender. Your skin was also inhumanly smooth.

 

As you reached to move your phone to a different angle, your thumb slipped and you heard a camera shutter sound.

 

You looked at the photo- yourself, eyes flaring, chin raised, looking surprised at your own image, yet not afraid.

 

You smiled down at it, and saved it for later. At least you now had some form of remembering what you looked like in the future, once you were back to being two people.

 

You shoved your phone in your pocket, and turned to the door. There was no more time to delay.

 

 

\---------

 

 

The fissure of time and space roared open, and Error stepped through, strings tight around Space Sans' soul as he floated in behind him into the anti-void.

 

Before him stood Ink, along with three other skeletons, and behind them were the strung up forms of the three he had previously captured.

 

Ink heard the roaring and turned to see Error, grimacing at the sight of him holding OuterSans hostage.

 

"glad to see you found him." Ink let a tiny bit of the self-loathing that he was working with Error seep into his psyche. "i recruited these three-" He gestured to his sides, where the three figures stood.

 

"... mafia..." He pointed to a pinstripe-suit-clad Sans, wielding an automatic gun.

 

"... reaper..." He gestured towards a cloaked figure holding a scythe, blue light flickering under the hood.

 

"... and beast." The final figure was a beastial form of Sans, standing on two legs, wearing only a scraped-up blue hoodie, with dragon- and dog-like features, including a barbed tail.

 

"i already told them to not go near the monitors if they wanted to live."

 

Error grinned and nodded. "good. i nabbed this guy right out from under..." He considered telling them that he fought _____, but he decided not to.

"... right out of space."

 

He looked up at Space Sans, who wore an expression of absolute hatred. Error wasn't letting him speak.

 

"now, now Spacey, please let us explain why we need your help." He grinned.

 

Ink gulped. He had told these three, and they volunteered to fight. But that wasn't a surprise, given that they came from violent universes. Would Outertale Sans be the same?

 

"ink, if you could explain.... you're probably... nicer about it than i am." Error grinned, his voice glitching and emphasizing "nicer".

 

Ink sighed.

 

"sure. so, sorry about taking you like this, but we need your help- all of the versions of you need your help. there's a dangerous mistake in a universe that needs to be destroyed, and it will take much more power than any one of us have. so we have recruited you and others to help, before the monster threatens all the timelines."

 

Error loosened his grip on Space's soul.

 

Space's face contorted in confusion.

"what the hell... is so bad that you freaks need tosteal me out of my universe?"

 

Ink looked at Error. "does he know about chara?"

 

Space's eye sockets grew wide. "what does this have to do with that shadowy demon?"

 

Error grinned slyly up at him.

 

"in one universe, chara's got a hold on a gaster fragment, a powerful one. and is unopposed, and is destroying and corrupting the entire universe without resetting."

 

Space's eyes grew wide.

 

"that's horrific."

 

"no shit, sherlock." Error commented.

 

Ink huffed in frustration. "if you help us destroy it, you can go home. that's all we ask. otherwise it could break the layer between universes, using gaster's knowledge, and contaminate others."

 

Space wore a pained expression, but said, "then i guess i will have to. sign me up."

 

Error grinned. "great. now we can get going!"

 

He turned to Ink. "got your magic punch?"

 

Ink glared at him. "don't you dare touch it."

 

Error held his hands up in defense. "i won't. just do it."

 

Ink grimaced, and pulled out from his satchel an iridescent, glowing metal hole punch, and a piece of paper.

 

He grabbed a pencil from his arsenal, and scribbled the date and time and universal coordinates of the doomsday universe on the paper.

 

Once done, he looked to the rest of the monsters gathered.

 

"are you all ready?"

 

The response was a mix of "as ready as i'll ever be"s and "yep"s and "i guess"s, all in very similar voices.

 

With that, Ink gripped the paper in his hand firmly, the holepunch in the other, and punched the corner of the paper.

 

The punching sounded like a cross between a gong and sandpaper, and gradually faded out.

 

Before the sound ended, Ink threw the piece of paper into the distance of the anti-void.

 

Where the paper settled, and when the tone ended, the hole in the paper glowed a myriad of colors, and grew to consume the entire paper, before stretching past the paper, and then formed a swirling mix of opalescent colors, in an archway-shaped opening three times the height of Ink.

 

He heard the quiet gasps of some of the Sanses behind him.

 

Error stepped towards the portal, still holding Space by the strings. He also tugged the other four tied up (Classic, Fell, Dancer, and Papyrus) to him.

 

Error grinned back at Ink.

 

"wanna go first?"

 

Ink huffed, and stepped forward, and then through the portal. The three who came with him then followed.

 

Error grinned up at the five suspended by his strings.

 

"please remember that the five of you can't get home without my help after this."

"... also, i hope you all are ready to **h a v e a b a d t i m e** ."

 

He shoved them through, letting his strings dissipate as they entered.

 

He looked back to his monitors. ______ now was at the door of the Outertale Universe, one more fragment down. She would never get the next in time to stop them. He breathed a sigh, almost in memorial of her goal of putting Gaster back together.

 

He smirked.

 

_Stupid human girl._

 

 

Then he stepped through.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where will the door take you?  
> Or, better yet, *when* will it take you?  
> And what will happen on the other side of Ink's portal?
> 
> You'll all find out shortly...
> 
> Also, here is the most current version of you, in my mind:  
> http://words-to-escape-by.deviantart.com/art/6-Ambition-667479685
> 
> The magic holepunch thing is something I came up with for this story, and has probably nothing to do with Ink as he was created. But I do like the idea that he has it to open portals to specific times and universes.  
> Maybe one day I'll write a fic about how he came to possess it...?


	56. Your Destination

You stare at the door. You mentally prep yourself for stepping through it.

 

You grip the handle, and turn it.

 

The door opens, and the temperature drops around you. You get goosebumps, but not from the cold... it's from... something else.

 

The muddled colors coming through the door are dark and dreary. You don't just feel the cold air, but you feel an impending feeling of dread that you can't help.

 

You breathe out quickly in anticipation.

 

(Gaster, you there?)

 

He responds immediately.

(Of course. I feel the same feeling of dread you do, and your fear. But remember, I am here. We will survive whatever this next universe throws at us.)

 

You exhale again, your heart audibly pounding, your eye still flaring, despite your conjured hands having disappeared. You summon all of your courage, and remember why you are doing this.

 

You are doing this for him. And for yourself. You wanted to get him home. And yourself. And Sans. All the Sans.

 

You felt **determined**. Your face grew intense.

 

You took a step forward and through the door.

 

And when your eyes refocused, you noticed how dark everything was.

 

You were back in the underground, no space, but everything seemed dim. You were in the woods outside of Snowdin, and the trees were dense- no, they weren't. They were just dark, unnaturally so.

 

Your eyes focused on a nearby tree, and you realized that they weren't just dark- they were burned. Something had charred the trees.

 

There was broken debris all around in the snow, and what looked like black tar scattered about places as well. It all smelled disgusting, and looked even worse.

 

But what was the worst was the inescapable feeling that everything was **wrong**.

 

That this place shouldn't be like this, and that there was just something so sick about just existing here.

 

It was only after you were able to recognize this feeling that you heard the door close behind you.

 

Your sound coming back to you, you heard shouts and roaring and strange sounds coming from the distance.

 

You quietly moved through the snow, seeking the source of the sounds. You ducked under more charred trees, and noticed in horror that some of the trees even were warped, melted, like a tree most _definitely_ shouldn't be.

 

You continued onwards, careful not to make any noise, but looking into the distance to see whatever it was.

 

You then heard a shout which sounded very, very familiar. It sounded like Sans' voice.

 

You walked faster, caring slightly less about being quiet. You began to see movements in a clearing outside of the tree growth.

 

The shouts you hear- they ... all sounded like Sans' voice.

 

You moved closer, just behind one of the trees and focus on seeing what is going on.

 

And your left eye went wide.

 

 

Before you raged a battle. One team seemed to be all made of gross, distorted monsters oozing black, their magic just as gross as the rest of them. The other team... was a bunch of different monsters which all looked like Sans.

 

You saw ones you recognized- the Sans from the space universe you just left, the Red Sans with the spiky teeth from the cruel universe, as well as the Sans from the Dancing universe, who was breakdancing as his magic flared and cut through his opponents.

 

You also saw the Sans-like Papyrus, as well as, to your horror, Error, who was slicing through goopy enemies like butter with his strings. There were also Sans you didn't recognize, like the one which looked like a grim reaper, with a scythe, one which had 1950's-esque attire and an automatic rifle, one which looked more like a skeletal dragon, but still wore a hoodie and bore blue magic, and one with a brown scarf and a giant paintbrush with glowing blue paint on it.

 

Then you finally saw your Sans- the one with just the plain blue hoodie and gym shorts, attacking with bones, and a summoned giant dragon skull, breathing blue energy that disintegrated the warped monsters in an instant.

 

Your heart rose to your throat- this was some sort of sick battle. The distorted monsters that barely looked like they were alive just kept on coming. If they were cut down, their bodies just re-merged, not even with the right parts of themselves, and kept on fighting. Disintegration was the only way they stayed dead- or whatever that was for them.

 

Was this what Error was taking them for? To fight in this battle? You watched, trying to hold yourself back from joining in.

 

Whenever one of the Sanses wasn't engaged, they looked eagerly around, as if looking for something. But by the time they could look for more than a few seconds, another goopy monst-... no, these weren't monsters... another _thing_ attacked them.

 

The Sanses didn't even look like they were gaining any ground. More just kept coming.

 

You too began to look around, hoping to see what they were looking for. Your soul was still deeply disturbed by whatever this universe was- it was like an impending feeling of vomiting, but in your soul- in your emotions. Like you wanted to reject this place's existence.

 

It made you want to be physically sick, too.

 

You stifled this feeling as best you could, and continued to look. The darkened trees hid much in the woods, and you looked down the path on either side of the battle, but you didn't see...

 

...

 

Wait.

 

You felt something- something dark...

 

_"aaaaaugh!"_

 

You turned to see one of the Sanses fall- it was the Dancing Universe one.

 

You had to help... Your face contorted in worry, your eyebrows mashing together in your smashed concern and anger.

 

The dark monsters gained in on the Dance Sans, who was down on the ground, and trying to push himself up with his arms. He had a black slice in his hoodie.

 

"NooOO!" Your voice was deeper, but you didn't notice.

 

You stepped out from behind your tree, and a hand rushed out in front of you, crackling with magical energy.

 

It reached the black figures surrounding Dance Sans and crashed into them, in the form of a fist. It cut right through them, rendering holes through their warped forms. You felt the feeling of the hand- the things felt just as slimy and sick as you would have imagined.

 

Another hand of yours shot forward, charging with energy, and sent bolts of crackling light through the figures, dissolving them.

 

The noise you made, combined with your shout made most of the combatants look your way as you ran, full speed, your coat and hair flaring behind you, into the melee.

 

All of their eye sockets went wide for a moment, but they continued fighting. All except one- Error, who lashed out at the distorted enemies, cutting them all down at once, which gave him time to stare at your approaching figure.

 

 

\--------

 

 

 

 

 

No, no no NO NO NO-

 

Error gripped his skull with his hands.

 

She still needed another fragment before this one, HOW-

 

She wasn't supposed to BE HERE, NO, this would make everything-

 

 

 

 

 

 

\--------

 

 

-everything was a mess.

 

You were slicing through the figures, in defense of the distracted Sanses.

 

You had to end this, you had to rescue them-

 

And you had to find Gaster's fragment here.

 

As you fought, neither you nor Gaster could spare the attention to search for it.

 

You both were fighting, both controlling a pair of summoned hands, cutting down the misshapen atrocities with dire precision. It seemed to be going well- the numbers were dwindl-

 

 

 

**MISERY.**

 

 

 

 

 

 

You clutched at your head. Something connected with your mind, with your soul's sense.

 

It tore into you, a vile, sickening feeling of dread and absolute despair. It felt vaguely like Gaster, but also like something was burning you alive.

 

You couldn't escape it. Your summoned hands disappeared, and you clutched your head in anguish. You might have been yelling, you couldn't hear yourself over the pain.

 

You tried your hardest to shut it out, to sever the connection, but it wouldn't budge.

 

It felt so incredibly... _wrong_.

 

Like all the darkness and dread of all your worst fears was trying to pour into you.

 

You opened your eyes, desperate for anything else to focus on.

 

Your mouth was open wide, lungs pouring out, but you heard nothing. Every black figure around you froze, and all of the Sanses cut them down. They stayed down.

 

The pain...

 

oh, god, the PAIN,

the **MISERY**....

 

You watched in horror as the Sanses turned to look up at you, their faces mortified.

 

You too were afraid of yourself. You stepped backwards, away from them, afraid of being too close to them. You tried to step as fast as possible, backwards, black tears pouring down your face.

 

You spun away from them, desperate to hide yourself from whatever was-

 

You saw _it approach_.

 

In the distance, from the darkness of the forest, rushed a face, attached to a figure. It was not running, it was floating at high speed through the solids of the trees and branches, coming directly for you.

 

The face...

It was as if Gaster's was crossed with a demonic, hysterical child's.

 

The eyes were red.

 

Black tears dripped from them into a hideous, smiling maw.

 

Just like that shadow from ...

 

Your eye opened wide, and the misery that you felt only increased as it approached.

 

 

From your eyes poured tears, which seeped into the veins of the black cracks on your face.

 

 

You finally heard your voice hoarsely come out.

 

 

_"Nn...o..."_

_  
_

_  
_

_  
_

_  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's all going so fast...
> 
> This was supposed to be your final destination...  
> You weren't supposed to be here so soon.  
> Error didn't account for this...
> 
> Why, then...
> 
> Why did the door take you here?
> 
> (I warned you, it would happen fast....  
> Also, finally broke the 100,000 word mark!  
> To celebrate.... I'll continue to make every chapter end in a cliffhanger like this one.  
> ;D)


	57. Doomsday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Warning*
> 
>  
> 
> It gets graphic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suddenly, the thing rushing towards you veered to the side, as you saw a bone bounce off it's hideously distorted body.

 

You felt something hit you as well, and grunted in pain.

 

It rose again, to see it's attacker, screaming in a scratchy laughter, smiling wide. You saw now that its head had dark hair, but in the same grey color scheme as the rest of it. The haircut looked like the shadow's from the other universe, also like Frisk's.

 

You too looked for the source of the attack-

 

You saw your Sans, breathing heavily, with droplets of sweat on his brow, one eye flaring blue as he stared down the demon before him.

 

It rushed toward him, and outstretched a dark limb, ending in a white, clawed, holed hand that clutched what resembled a black knife.

 

But it was hit again, this time from the front, by what appeared to be a brush stroke composed of blue magic.

 

You felt the attack as well- it stung like a punch crossed with an electric shock. You cried out, softly, voice still hoarse.

 

The being screamed, and tilted backwards. It had no legs, so you guessed it couldn't fall- it floated like a gruesome spectre.

 

Then attack after attack came, in the form of bones, in beams of light from the skeletal heads...

 

You shook as you felt its pain, groaning with each impact.

 

 

 

_"RrrraaEEEEE **EEAAAAAHHHhhhh** hhh!!"_

The being roared in a shrill, staticky voice that, to your horror, sounded slightly like Gaster's.

 

But then, as the attacks continued to come, the thing's form shifted- and the attacks went right through it, as if it wasn't solid.

 

It smiled and laughed at the Sanses' mortified expressions, and advanced, knife once again readied in hand.

 

 

No...

 

You weren't going to _let this **happen**!_

 

 

 

The misery that was in your mind was diminished now that its focus wasn't entirely on you, but your head still throbbed, and you felt sick.

 

But, with all of your focus, you threw out your arm and conjured a giant, holed white hand that appeared behind the figure. It pulsed with white light.

 

 

You willed it downwards, and the fingers grabbed the form of the creature and smashed it into the ground.

 

Your breath caught in your throat as you felt pain, much like your own body was crushed and pinned to the ground. You stumbled forward, but stubbornly held the hand there, feeling its sick body, cold and oozing, under the hand. You hated feeling it- and feeling everything it felt.

 

 

You saw its face turn to you from the gap between your fingers- its red eyes glaring at you with hatred and misery. It looked half like it wanted to destroy you, and half like it wanted to destroy itself.

 

 

Then, it suddenly grinned wide at you, not making a sound.

 

 

Your eyes widened. You could feel the misery in your mind expand- once again causing sickening pain. You could feel an overwhelming sense of hatred, too, pouring into your mind.

 

Your hand faltered, but with all your strength, you kept it there, kept the thing pinned down.

 

It smiled wider, and suddenly, sank into the ground. Your hand collapsed, and fell into the snow. You saw a shadow dart from under your hand, in the ground, towards you.

 

Your eyes widened in horror, and you summoned another hand, which slammed down in a fist onto the ground that contained the approaching shadow, but it didn't faze it. It continued rushing towards you.

 

 

Bones erupted from the ground, as the litany of Sanses moved to form attacks to stop the snaking shadow.

 

 

It didn't even dodge them- the attacks had no effect. The shadow streaked faster towards you.

 

You felt sickness and misery boil in your mind, and you stepped backwards, all your conjured hands now dissolved.

 

 

It was right upon you...

 

 

You stepped back...

 

 

It rushed under you, and you turned your head around and down to see the shadow form a smiling face, with red eyes, before it rose from the ground.

 

 

You turned your body, and your leg moved back to brace yourself, your arm thrust out to defend yourself from the figure seeping from the shadow.

 

 

 

But it was faster.

It... was **determined**.

 

 

You saw it hideously smile as its white hand, clutching the knife, swung at your chest.

 

 

Your eye went wide.

 

 

You could only stare into its red, crying eyes as you felt the knife slip through your body- it was not cutting flesh like an actual knife, but everywhere it touched left a feeling of dread.

 

 

 

The knife rushed through you at high speed, your mind barely having time to process the feeling before-

 

 

 

 

 

 

**_*Sssssssshhhhhhhkk*_ **

 

 

The knife hit its intended target, and with a sickening ripping sound, you felt Gaster's soul severed from yours.

 

 

Its other hand reached into your chest, and ripped the white, broken soul from you.

 

 

Your soul quaked in pain.

 

This time, you heard yourself scream. But it was your voice- your feminine, hoarse voice, which you had not heard in a long time.

 

 

During the scream, you felt your body shift, all too sickeningly fast-

 

Your bones shortened, and your skin shifted around them, all _too quickly_ -

 

Your face rounded, and you felt the cracks recede from your neck, up your chin, and seal at the seams of your eyes.

 

Your nose reappeared, and your right eye opened just as your left closed in pain.

 

Your frame shrank, and all the clothes that you were wearing were suddenly far too big- the cape drooping to the ground, the sweater enveloping your arms, dropping down your thighs...

 

 

While you felt this pain, you saw the being in front of you shove the broken soul into its own chest. A red outline of a soul, oozing with black, connected with Gaster's, and you saw its body begin to grow.

 

Its smile widened, as its torso and neck lengthened, it growing to and above your former height. Where it lengthened, the darkness of its torso separated and created a white, jagged band along its midsection.

 

Dark cracks crawled down from its left eye to its soul, and up from its right, rising to the cut of the bangs before the rest of the hair bleached a pale white.

 

You saw the darkness from the red husk of a soul drool over Gaster's, and you saw the knife in its right hand go white, but was still coated in black ooze which dripped down its gnarled hand and arm.

 

 

 

Your lungs ran out of air, and your scream died in your throat.

 

 

 

 

It raised its knife, and its other arm, and laughed in glee...

 

 

 

And as you fell to the snow...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...the red eyes, crying black tears,

 

 

were the last thing you saw before darkness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I warned you it would get *graphic*.
> 
> A drawing I drew a long time ago, in preparation for this chapter. Finally got it all photoshopped and everything, for all of your (dis)pleasure.
> 
> Remember how Sans said that souls couldn't be cleanly severed before they were both whole?
> 
> ....
> 
> *For BONUS feels*
> 
> Reread, listening to this song, titled "Never Going Home", which is actually a sickeningly perfect name.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6YJYA2Ffso
> 
> And fret not, I promise to publish a chapter every day from now until the end. But I most certainly will make them mostly cliffhangers. Sorrynotsorry.


	58. That Extra Push

Gaster watched in horror as ____'s body slumped disheveled to the ground, in a heap of oversized clothing, her eyes closing.

 

But the thing... the other soul which he was now bonded to, delighted at the sight.

 

He hated it _so much...._

 

He pushed against the consciousness of the being connected to him, only to find it absolutely unyielding. A wall of determination kept him from taking control of the body, no matter how much he tried.

 

He even tried pulling away, becoming a whole being again, and separating- but, he realized that it had to be a willingness on both sides to separate, and the thing clutched his soul like a vice.

 

He felt the magic of his soul pour into the body of the being (which was obviously some form of human), and felt its form stretch and change to become more like his. All the changes he had grown accustomed to in _____'s body, he suddenly hated about this new body.

 

It felt so... **_wrong_**.

 

Once the transformation was done, and the being laughed at the body of _____ in the snow, attacks started pouring out of the Sanses.

 

Bones, colored inks, bullets, slices of steel-

 

All were deflected by series of holed hands wielding knives. Gaster hated seeing it. He wanted the attacks to land.

 

The thing laughed in amusement, and launched into the sky, attacks flying after it, but all too slowly.

 

This thing, in its grossness, now had the power of a god- it possessed a human soul, and a monster's. Or, what Gaster assumed to be a whole human soul. It didn't feel as corporeal as _____'s, or even nearly as alive....

 

While they were flying, Gaster tried to reach out and sense the consciousness of the grotesque human...

 

It.... felt familiar, yet hollow. Like a shell of...

 

 

Wait, it was...

 

It felt like Chara, the child of the King and Queen. But that shouldn't be right, the child died.... but maybe in this universe...

 

 

Gaster ventured a spoken thought.

 

(.... Chara?)

 

He felt their face grimly smile.

 

(Took you long enough, you old scientist.)

 

It flexed a hand as it flew, streaking through the air in the direction of the capitol of this corrupted underground. Its incorporeal lower body trailed behind it like smoke.

 

(Your fragment picked up on it very late in the game, you see. I knew the rest of you would be a bit quicker on the uptake.) It was snide and bitter. Not like the Chara Gaster remembered at all.

 

(You SICKEN me, Chara! How could you... what could you have gained by killing ______?!) Gaster raged, throwing his full force of anger at Chara mentally.

 

Chara was amused.

 

(Kill? I didn't see her stop breathing while we were there. But in due time, I suppose, she will die. It's for the best, really.)

 

Gaster's mind raged in questions.

 

(What has made you so SICK?! Is it this universe?! Is it some twisted version-)

 

(No, it isn't this universe. I MADE this universe, after I became bonded to your sad, sad fragment. It was easy to overpower- so frail and weak- like it gave up on itself but just couldn't bring itself to die.)

 

Gaster raged, and felt tears fall down the their face.

 

Their hand came up and wiped it away, investigating the black smear on their hand.

 

(It's truly pathetic, how little determination you have- even with a whole soul, you can't take over this body...only cry, like the pathetic being you are.)

 

(What do you even want to do with this power?!)

 

They laughed, which sounded deep like Gaster's, but distorted. It was horrible.

 

(Can't you SEE?!)

 

Gaster was suddenly flooded with images of fire, of knives, of blood and dust- of screaming voices and falling towers, and crumbling mountains, and bomb explosions. He felt his soul grow cold in horror.

 

Chara narrated the images.

 

(This world does not deserve to live. Nothing here does. I thought monsters did, until Asriel BETRAYED ME in the end-) The thoughts became broken in rage, and Gaster reeled from the anger of the human.

 

(How are you even alive? Weren't you...)

 

(DEAD?!) They cackled. Tears streamed down their face, falling into the air below their rocketing body.

 

(You should know, Gaster, that when a human dies, their soul persists long after death! Don't you REMEMBER your experiments?!)

 

(I DO.) Gaster was vehement.

 

(You may not know this, but red souls like mine are made PURELY of **determination** \- and with a goal as big as mine, well...)

 

Gaster felt their body lower towards the castle's entrance.

 

_(I couldn't just forget it.)_

 

 

 

Their body slipped in the door, still suspended in the air. They breezed through the tall, dim halls- the castle too felt just as wrong and distorted as the rest of this universe, but Chara felt right at home.

 

There were some shambling, oozing monsters in the castle, but they all shied away from their form.

 

The thoughts came together in Gaster's mind as he realized their goal.

 

(You want to destroy the barrier. You want to end humanity.) He couldn't believe it.

 

Their mouth tsk, tsked, in its distorted tone.

 

(Oh, but you're thinking too narrow mindedly- the barrier of this world is only the first step.)

 

Gaster once again caught a glimpse of Chara's mind- of Chara destroying not only this barrier, but also destroying....

 

It wasn't a sight- it was a thought-

 

Of destroying everything.

 

All universes and timelines.

 

Gaster retched mentally.

 

 

(You're INSANE!!)

 

 

(OF COURSE I AM.)

 

 

It laughed, and entered the throne room. Any flowers that once grew here were ripped apart, piece by piece, and burnt. There was only ashes and tar.

 

(How can you do this?! What can you hope to gain-)

 

(YOU'RE ANNOYING ME.)

 

Chara shoved a mental hand over Gaster's mouth. He lost the ability to convey thoughts.

 

He could only now watch.

 

Then Chara was in the hall with the barrier. The seven canisters holding the souls rose from the floor- there were only six in them, but that didn't matter.

 

"Now..." They spoke out loud.

 

"Now I can absorb these, with a complete monster soul in my possession..."

 

The canister's lids glowed red and opened, and the souls raised out.

 

Gaster felt their mouth stretch wide with glee.

 

Their hand thrust out, and grabbed the yellow soul.

 

It pushed it into its chest.

 

The soul floated next to Chara's, but...

 

Suddenly, it floated back out, leaving a trailing sense of rejection that Gaster felt as well.

 

 

"WHAT?!"

 

 

Chara fumed, and grabbed the purple soul. The same thing happened.

 

 

Chara tried every soul. None would stay.

 

Chara even summoned hands to press to their chest, to block the soul's exits, but they just floated out around them.

 

" _USELESS SOOOUUUULLLSSS!!_ " They screamed, and with sudden vigor, grabbed a knife out of thin air, and cut at the souls.

 

Gaster watched in horror as they all cracked with each strike.

 

Then, with another series of strikes, the souls shattered, crumbling to nothing as they fell to the floor of the castle.

 

Tears poured down their face.

 

Gaster was reminded of _____. Was she dead yet? Was this what was going to happen to her?!

 

"I'll just cross the barrier and take better souls **MYSELF!** "

 

They flew at full speed at the barrier, knives in both holed hands.

 

Gaster saw it rapidly approach before-

 

 

 

The barrier stopped them, and they crashed into it.

 

Chara peeled themselves from the barrier, experiencing a small amount of pain from the large shock.

 

But all that was lost in the fury that emanated from Chara. Gaster could see red now coat their vision- their eyes were now flaring.

 

"(WHAT IS WRONG?!)" Chara screamed, which sounded more like a roar, but Gaster could understand the thought.

 

During the chaos, Gaster gained the ability to speak thought again.

 

 

(Perhaps something is wrong with your gruesome soul.)

 

Chara grimaced and summoned their soul from their chest, along with Gaster's fused one.

 

The red outline of a soul was filled with the black tar of hate, and Gaster's white soul had some of it rolling down its sides in steady, slow rivers.

 

Gaster saw as Chara's eyes roamed both souls, searching for....

 

In the bottom of Gaster's soul was a tiny, tiny chip out of it. It was barely noticeable.

 

Both Gaster and Chara felt surprise at this. Gaster felt whole, and Chara felt just as powerful as they imagined it would take to cross the barrier.

 

Gaster thought. (How.... there's still a missing piece...)

 

(HOW UNFORTUNATE.)

 

Chara pressed the souls back into their chest, and took off again, rushing out of the castle.

 

(Where's your other fragment, Gaster?!)

 

(Even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you.) He tried to lace as much bitterness into the thought as possible.

 

(I figured as much. I'll look for it myself then.)

 

Wait, was it in this universe? It couldn't be-

 

Gaster felt Chara reach out, their sense faster and spreading further than his ever did. He immediately tried to counter it, and hinder their search.

 

Chara gritted whatever was closest to teeth in their mouth, and pushed harder. The sense found it- a signal back from where they came, near the Sanses and _____.

 

But thanks to Gaster's hinderance, they couldn't pinpoint where exactly. But they could tell it wasn't moving.

 

Chara cackled in laughter, in the horrible, distorted low voice that sounded too much like Gaster's. They shot out of the castle, and flew as fast as possible back towards the melee.

 

 

\---------

 

 

 

Error joined the others and gathered around ____'s body. Classic was already by her side, holding her body up from the cold snow. Next to him were Dancer, Fell, Space, and Ink, all kneeling.

 

 

"_______! wake up, come _on_..." Classic's eye sockets were raised in desperate concern. To be fair, each of the Sanses' were gathered around ____, every one looking concerned.

 

 

Even Error felt horror at seeing her body in the snow. He hated that he did. It served her right, ruining this plan he had been working towards for so long... but he couldn't help but feel slightly guilty.

 

"is she breathing?" Space asked.

 

"it looks like it..." "yeah," said Papyrus and Classic.

 

"let me get this straight- this lass just had her soul severed from g's incomplete one, so... how is she still alive?" Mafia spoke.

 

Error answered. "it doesn't matter... chara has a whole soul now, and is going to-"

 

"oh shut UP error! mafia asked an important question," Ink interrupted.

 

Classic stared through her chest, now covered inan oversized white sweater. Her space-themed coat splayed out over the snow, some parts wrapped around her legs and torso. He looked at her green and gold soul, which was dimmer now.

 

"i... don't know..." Classic spoke.

 

"i do."

 

 

Their heads turned towards the reaper-like Sans, who stood, holding his scythe, a bit away from the crowd.

 

"then fuckin' **explain**!" Fell shouted.

 

Reaper pointed his weapon at her chest, from a distance away.

 

"look again."

 

All of the Sanses looked back at her soul-

 

Their eyes scanned, before Dancer lifted a phalange and pointed lower than her soul.

 

"he's right, look..."

 

The other Sanses saw a tiny, tiny white shard, giving off a slight glow. It was hard to make out from the white sweater in front of it.

 

"the other fragment... how..." Error couldn't believe-

 

Fell spoke. "why didn't that fragment get ripped out too?"

 

"maybe it ... bonded afterwards, i dunno..." Ink replied.

 

Error's eyes widened in horror.

 

"then we've got to hide her- chara's gonna realize soon that there's a piece missing, and they'll come back and really kill _____."

 

Classic looked up at Error, eye flaring in anger.

"since when did **YOU** care about _____'s life?!"

 

Error glared back at him, his strings forming knots between his fingers.

"my mistake, i meant before they come back and kill _**EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING IN THE MULTIVERSE**_."

 

All of the eyesockets went wide at this, and there was a shuffle as the kneeling Sanses stood.Sans picked up _____ in his arms, and everyone looked around for somewhere to go.

 

"but where can we go that they won't find her?" Beast asked.

 

"we just have to be fast, and- aauughh!"

 

 

Space's voice was cut short as a giant hand with a hole in it wrapped around his body, immobilizing him.

 

Eyes flared all around in anticipation, as several of them looked up to see a shadow descending on the scene.

 

Weapons and attacks were readied, only to be cut short by hands wrapping around each of them.

 

Classic, too was grabbed, the fingers lacing around his body, and yanked backwards, ____ falling out of his arms to the snow in a crunch.

 

"no!" He shouted, but was then pinned to the ground from behind, much like Chara was by ____ earlier.

 

 

 

\--------

 

 

(What a novel idea~ Giving them all the same treatment!) Chara laughed darkly, and made every hand press the captured monster into the snow, cruelly. But the tightness of the hand didn't falter.

 

Chara settled down to the ground as they watched all the Sans realized that their teleportation abilities didn't work here. Their faces grew horrified, and they stared at Chara, yelling various insulting and threatening things.

 

Chara brushed them off. They should have known that in this universe, where they were GOD, that their teleportation powers would be suppressed.

 

They walked to the slumped form of ____, and saw her eyes closed, and eyebrows angled as if in pain.

 

They pick up her body with a large hand, from the back, and tug her soul out, looking for-

 

"THERE IT IS!!!" Chara laughed in glee. Below her dimmed soul floated the tiny shard.

 

(You DEMON, get your hands OFF of her!!) Gaster shouted in anguish. He didn't want to see her like this, but Chara's eyes reveled in the sight.

 

 

Chara's grin widened. The Sanses yelled in the background, but neither Gaster nor Chara heard them.

 

(You seem awfully sentimental about this human, Gaster! It would be a shame if...)

 

 

Chara summoned a knife in one hand.

 

 

 

(DON'T YOU **DARE!!!** )

 

(Don't worry, your fragment will be fine if she dies. You can be whole again!!!) Chara laughed.

 

(DON'T-)

 

(TOO BAD!)

 

Chara's knife went red, and their arm pulled back.

 

The Sanses, unheard in the distance, shouted.

 

 

It swung forward-

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

But stopped within a foot of her body.

 

Chara's eyes widened, and flared red.

 

 

They struck again, screeching, but the arm would not follow through.

 

 

"gggGGGGHHHAAAAA!"

 

 

Chara summoned hand after hand, all holding red knives, and threw them at her body. But none would reach. They stopped dead once they neared her.

 

More tears poured down their face.

 

(I can't let you do that, Chara!) Gaster felt his own determination push against Chara's.

 

Chara tries again and again, but no knife will cut her. None will get close.

 

(FINE, IF THIS IS THE BATTLE YOU WANT- **LET'S GO**.) Chara screamed in his mind.

 

Gaster felt something pull at his mind- Chara's own pulled his further back into the subconscious mind.

 

Gaster felt his mind and vision go dark, as he was helplessly pulled into Chara's distorted psyche.

 

 

 

Gaster saw a face come out of the distorted, twisting darkness.

 

It had red eyes, cut brown hair with bangs, rosy cheeks, and... a frowning face. It was glaring at him.

 

(You WILL give me control!) It shouted at him. It had a child's voice, just like the Chara's he knew.

 

Gaster crossed his arms. (I don't think I will.)

 

(Don't you GET IT? HUMANS are DEMONS, JUST AS I AM. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE WORLD IS LIKE UP THERE-)

 

(I LIVED up there before the barrier was erected, you forget. I know what it was like. And I know that not all humans are as corrupted as YOU.)

 

The face screamed, once again glitching into distortion. Gaster flinched.

 

Gaster was suddenly flooded with images of war- of guns, and ruined landscapes- of bloodied bodies. Of muggings, of murders, of arsonists, of terrorists...

 

 

Gaster's eyes widened.

 

They showed him abuse of children, of starvation, of neighbor fighting neighbor-

 

 

Gaster felt sickened.

 

Then something slipped in Chara, and Gaster got a glimpse of a large human hand, wielding something hard, coming down on him. He felt pain from the memory.

 

Chara shut the memory as soon as they realized it was happening.

 

Gaster once again looked into the wide-eyed face of the child.

 

(You... were abused.)

 

Chara scowled. (And I wasn't the only one, by far. Humans are **worse than _ANIMALS!_** )

 

(But that doesn't mean they all are! _____ is GOOD, and doesn't deserve to DIE!)

 

Gaster thought about all ____ had done to save him. She volunteered her time, and her own body- just to put him back together- to give him a chance to live again.

 

Gaster saw Chara's expression change from one of bitterness to one of hysterical laughter.

 

As they broke into laugher in front of him, Gaster was confused.

 

 

(What?!)

 

(I fucking HATE YOU!) They laughed and screamed, with a smile on their face.

 

(I hate your **COMPASSION** , and your sickening **KINDNESS**... and you....) They shook their head. (You sickening lovesick being.... who can't bring yourself to kill **ONE** human adult when your king **killed** **_CHILDREN_** -)

 

( _Lovesick?!_ ) Gaster didn't understand.

 

(You're in love with her, aren't you?!)

 

 

Gaster stepped back.

 

(Nn.... I'm not.... I have no right to...) He spiraled downwards. Not after what he'd made her go through- he almost killed her, with his magic...

 

(You are right about that! You don't deserve much of anything, honestly. You're a failed _mistake_ of a scientist who was too _weak_ to help himself even when he knew he was falling into the core!)

 

Gaster held his face in his hands. He felt tears crawl down his face.

 

(You made an innocent human go on this worthless trip, just to piece yourself back together, and now you'll get her killed for it. Wasn't it **your choice** to introduce yourself to her in the beginning?)

 

Gaster's eyes quaked.

 

(And that's not the least of it! You MADE your king kill children, all because you couldn't find a way to break the barrier soon enough! And then you just gave up!)

 

(S-stop...) Gaster could feel his emotions upheaving.

 

(AND WHEN THE UNDERGROUND NEEDED YOU MOST, YOU VANISHED! You, what, prodded some souls, and felt guilty, and accidentally tripped into the core?)

 

Gaster felt its face come closer, almost next to him.

 

It whispered...

 

 

(You know, I'm really glad I gave you that _extra push_ \- otherwise, we wouldn't be here, having this conversation today, you _piece of sh_ -)

 

(STOP. SPEAKING.) Gaster raged, and opened his eyes, his magic flaring.

 

Chara's face lit with glee.

 

(Ah, you're unable to come back with a witty statement, so you must be pretty unstable now, right?)

 

Gaster's eyes widened.

 

Suddenly, both of their minds were sucked back out into consciousness, where Chara had a red knife readied overhead.

 

( **NO!** )

 

The arm swung.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I did pull an ATLA reference with "the underground needing him most". I have no regrets.
> 
> I hope you all know that I got 0% work done today, and have been writing and angsting about this chapter instead. It's a long one, I gotta say. It was fun to write ;D
> 
> Thank you all for the comments and kudos! I'm glad this work is heating up- I've been holding all these feels inside for far, far too long- about time I share them.
> 
> I'll probably publish another one tonight- unsure at this point if I actually will do any work.
> 
> Also, I've listened to this song for 52 minutes to get me in the zone. Desperate times, these are.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSKPqTWvJlE


	59. The Last Fragment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now begins the time for your regularly-scheduled emotional dream-segment-intermission.
> 
> Please enjoy and keep your limbs and tears inside the vehicle at all times.

You sighed.

 

 

 

 

 

The sun crested over the horizon before you. You couldn't tell if it was rising or setting.

 

 

 

...

 

 

Why the hell is there a sun in your mind? You didn't know.

 

 

You were sitting on a bench. You also didn't know why you were doing that.

 

 

Weren't you supposed to be seeing your life flash through your eyes or something dramatic like that? Like, your mind recedes from your body, only to... make a pretty sunset or sunrise?

 

 

You knew that you would die. You remembered being told that partial souls couldn't be removed from a bond with a whole soul. Well, not without some serious damage, you imagined. It was probably fatal for a weak soul like yours.

 

 

You cross your arms. This death business didn't make any sense.

 

But then, most of this adventure didn't make a whole lot of sense.

 

You, a normal, standard human, volunteered to travel through space and time, hosting a monster in your body, putting him back together...

 

Nah, _that_ made sense. Gaster deserved to live. He was good. He was a pure, sweet cinnamon roll. Well, a cinnamon roll that had gone through some rough times and did some bad things, but... was still an amazing person.

 

And now he was going to be whole...

 

And you were going to die....

 

You felt tears burn at the corners of your eyes.

 

 

You sucked air in, and bit your lip. You weren't going to cry.

 

**Nope.**

 

You considered your imminent death. 

 

 

You should have known you would die like this... taking on more than you could chew. You weren't prepared for this. You were maybe too optimistic, and look, now Gaster was stolen by some demon.... thing.

 

You rubbed your face with your hands, hiding your wet, hot eyes.

 

The world....

 

 

... " _wasn't as peachy as you thought_ ".

 

 

And now you, and probably all the Sanses, were going to die from your mistake. Maybe Gaster too. You hoped they wouldn't.

 

 

You wished you weren't so weak....

 

You wished you could will your broken soul to make your body stand, but you knew you were unconscious.

 

 

And staring at a fucking sun, on some bench somewhere.

 

 

You exhaled angrily at the sun, hoping it would do something other than look pretty.

 

Like, burn that demon back to hell.

 

 

You leaned back in the bench.

 

If this was the last look at the sun you would ever get, you might as well enjoy it.

 

You stared at it for a while.

 

You considered not making yourself blind, by looking somewhere else, but... it was pretty. And warm.

 

 

 

"Do you see anything interesting in the sun?"

 

You jump several inches as you hear a deep voice from your right.

 

 

Your head spins, and almost in slow motion your eyes see the strangest thing.

 

 

 

It's Gaster.

 

He's just... chilling on the bench next to you. His arm on the armrest, the white lights in his eyes regarding you with humor, a soft smile on his face. The cracks that stretched from his eyes were barely noticeable, although his right eye was slightly compressed-looking.

He wore a long black coat, black pants, and a white turtleneck that was oh-so familliar. He smiled down at you, since you were almost two feet shorter than him.

 

 

"GASTER?!"

 

He smiled. "That is my name, you are correct."

 

"What the hell are you doing here?! I saw ... you were cut out of me... ripped out...."

You couldn't believe your dream-eyes.

 

"Tell me, have you felt alone while you were sitting here?"

 

You turned your head back to the sun in front of you, and considered this.

"No... I guess... I felt as I normally did... as I was used to being... were you there the WHOLE TIME?" You turned back to him.

 

 

He smiled and laughed, closing his eyes.

He opened them. "You have such dramatic thoughts when you think you're alone, _____."

 

"You mean when I think I'm about to die."

 

He nodded. "That too."

 

Your eyebrows mashed together in disbelief as you stared at him.

 

"How are you here?"

 

 

This time it was him who looked away, into the sun. He seemed to be... glowing in the golden light.

"The demon took what it thought was all of me... but part of me stayed. It's... been hidden for a while." His voice was low, and comforting. You realized how much you liked hearing it, not just hearing his thoughts.

 

"And by hidden you mean...." You stared at him.

 

"It has grown, as a result of the other fragments. This part of me...." He laughed softly. "No wonder it was the last fragment."

 

Your face hurt from wearing such a confused expression for so long.

"This... part of you...." You wished he would just say what it was.

 

He looked back at you, smiling brightly.

"This part of me didn't want to leave you, and it most certainly didn't want you to die. It's grown pretty attached, I must say... I'm not surprised that the thing couldn't rip it out."

 

Your face grew skeptical.

 

"Attached... Gaster, you have been literally attached to my soul this whole time. Your soul has been stuck to mine."

 

 

His eyebrows raised in amusement.

"Not physical attachment."

 

 

Your face went blank, it suddenly clicked.

 

You brought your hand to your chin, and did a finger gun at him as you figured it out.

 

"Emotional attachment then? Cause I totally get that, but man, you're such a sap..." You laughed a bit.

 

 

He leaned closer to you, his head getting closer to yours. You looked up at him, still smirking in humor. You would have flustered, if you weren't so comfortable in your amusement.

 

"______."

 

 

You couldn't help as a wide grin stretched across your face.

"'That is my name, you are correct'!" You pretended to mock exactly what he said to you earlier.

 

"I love you."

 

 

 

Your face goes blank, and you gulp.

 

"Oh..."

 

You turned your face towards the sun again. You stare at it blankly.

 

"Mmhm." You couldn't open your mouth to form a real word.

 

 

 

 

You consider the sun for a moment. You consider the fact that it is a ball of gas undergoing fusion, burning tens of millions of miles away and-

 

 

 

"MMHMM. yes." You make sounds with your mouth to keep from verbalizing your mind, which was the equivalent of screaming right now.

 

 

 

You feel your heart beat far too fast. Well, your dream-state heart. Your regular body was still comatose.

 

 

"Is that your final thought on the matter?" Gaster inquires.

 

You turn back to him, who has a nervous expression, his eyebrows turned up.

 

He looked so funny- so unsure. You took a moment to appreciate his face. His whole form. You imagined this was what he would look like whole. Alive.

 

Like a big, attractive, concerned goofball.

 

Your expression softened as you looked up at him, at his poor, nervous, beautiful face.

 

 

"Gaster."

 

"_____." He said your name back.

 

"You're a complete sap."

 

He grinned nervously. "I know."

 

"I love that you're a sap." Your voice was matter-of-fact. You didn't really think about these thoughts before, but you knew they were true.

 

His eyes widened.

 

"And..." You paused for dramatic effect.

 

"I love that you're ambitious. I love that you're occasionally furious."

 

His expression changed to a warm smile.

 

You continued.

"I love... that you are kind, and that you're cool, and that you can bake a mean quiche...

 

"I love that ... even though you've done some bad things, you admit that they were wrong, and want to make up for it."

 

His smile grew sadder, but was still a smile.

 

"And I love that you're a cinnamon roll, even though you don't know what that means, 'cause I never got the chance to..."

 

Tears threatened to pour from your eyes, but you went on.

 

"-I love everything about you, Gast." You smiled.

 

"So... of course I love you, too."

 

 

 

His face lit up with glee, his eyes widening, his grin spreading wide. He was too cute, you thought, in that moment.

 

He said nothing as he quickly slid himself closer to you on the seat, and began leaning against you, his body warm and tall. You could see him grin in joy as he stared into the sun.

 

Then, he began to lean all of his weight into you, smirking. His weight was winning.

 

"You cornball! You'll crush me!" You tried pushing back with your body.

 

"I doubt that, given that my body is mostly composed of light-weight magic, and _not_ corn, while yours is made of dense matter-"

 

"You calling me DENSE?!" You shoved him, playfully. "First, you call me MASSIVE, then now, AFTER you've confessed your love, you call me _DENSE?!_ "

 

He fell over, falling from your play shove. He looked at you with incredulous humor, smiling wide.

 

"I meant nothing by it! I was simply stating that your physical composition, which is quite beautiful, by the way, is superior in crushing ability that mine!"

 

You did a double-take at the clever compliment, and smirked back at him.

 

"I'd say we BOTH are _crushing_ pretty hard right now, lover boy."

 

He frowned. "'Lover... boy'?"

 

"What, don't like that one, handsome?"

 

His grin returned. "I like that one."

 

" _Hand_.... some?" You raised your eyebrows as far as they could go.

 

His face drained of emotion. You, on the other hand, cracked up.

 

"Ya walked... hah, heh, right into that one, Gast... you should see your face!" You had a hard time breathing.

 

He harrumphed as he sat back up straight, staring at the sun.

 

You regained your composure, and sat smiling, looking at his face. It was glowing from the sun.

 

 

No, it actually was glowing. He had a white patch across his cheeks that looked eerily like a blush.

 

"No, _really_ , Gast, you should see your face. You're blushing."

 

His eyes went wide, and the glow got brighter. He turned to you in frustration.

 

"Well, you are too!"

 

You grinned snidely. "I thought as much."

 

He looked surprised at your reaction. "You're..."

 

"Not flustered? Nah. I've decided to stop being flustered. I'm probably gonna die anyway. Might as well just... do me." You shrugged.

 

His expression changed to one of horror.

"Don't think like that!"

 

"Now who's the optimistic one?" You sighed, looking again at the sun. You knew you couldn't talk about this while looking at him without crying.

 

 

"Look. Gast. We both know that the thing that ripped out the rest of you will realize you have another fragment in me soon."

 

His eyes saddened.

 

"And, I mean, Sans didn't say what happened when a fragmented soul is ripped from another, but he did say it shouldn't be done. Or that's what I got from it... so... it isn't looking good for me." Your eyes grew hotter, and a tear fell from your eye. Even your voice was cracking.

 

"Plus, I don't think that thing... intends to keep everyone safe and happy, once it has your power... i-it's probably wreaking havoc right now, and I'm just... lying there..."

 

"There's a reason it couldn't take me from you- it couldn't pull hard enough." He sounded positive.

 

You faced him, crying.

 

"It can take me from you, though. It c-could just _kill_ me and be done with it."

 

He drew closer to you, and wrapped his arms around you. You buried your wet face in his chest.

 

"I won't let that happen, _____...." His voice vibrated through you. It was warm and comforting.

 

"I won't either." You slowly pulled away from him, and stood up. You felt **determined**.

 

"Wait, what are you going to do?!" He looked at you in desperation.

 

 

 

"What I have to." A fresh tear rolled down your cheek.

 

 

 

You smiled at him.

 

You closed your eyes.

 

Your vision blurred to darkness.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I definitely *did not* cry while writing this.  
> Nope. *sniff* No tears here.
> 
> Stay tuned for next time, which will star our characters with significantly fewer fluffy puns and flirts, and significantly more knives!
> 
> BTW, next time will likely be... maybe be.... tonight... I can't tell yet. Depends on how long of a chapter I need. Haven't decided yet.  
> Maybe suggestions on a short chapter sooner, or a longer chapter later (by that i mean like 24 hours from now)?
> 
> *Edit*  
> Oh, silly me, that's right, I had a short chapter planned RIGHT FOR THIS NEXT CHAPTER. It will be out in probably an hour or so.


	60. What You Have To

 

 

 

The arm swung.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your eyes opened.

 

You rolled your body out of the hand just in time, and the knife cut through the hand.

 

 

 

You heard a horrific, distorted scream as you landed on the ground. You quickly shed your coat, knowing it would only hinder you.

In these few moments, you realized how much your body hurt. It definitely, positively should _not_ have been moving like this.

 

 

You spun, right as the creature readied another attack, wielding its red knife in the horrible, sick version of Gaster's hand.

 

 

 _He didn't deserve this_ , you thought bitterly.

 

 

You heard in the distance low shouts, and you saw behind the figure all the Sanses- all trapped in huge hands, pinned to the ground.

 

 

_They didn't deserve this!_

Not even that sick Error one...

 

 

 

The thing lunged for you-

 

 

And you dodged, but were knocked back by another hand, this one luckily not knife-holding.

 

 

You stumbled backwards, and fell onto your knees. Your body throbbed in pain.

 

 

"Don't even **BOTHER**." It spoke to you, black tears rolling from its eyes.

Its voice made you want to claw your ears off. It was like Gaster's but... so... _WRONG_...

 

 

The knife came down again.

 

 

 

You dodged, barely, rolling to the side. You managed to get your feet under you.

 

 

 

It raised its arm again.

 

This was your chance!

 

 

 

You lunged.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
> 
> See you guys tomorrow! ;P
> 
> (I had this deliberately planned to be the most worst cliffhanger... so... sorry about that. Kinda sorta.)


	61. Piece by Piece

 

 

 

 

She lunged.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before they could move away...

 

She wrapped her arms around their torso in a tight embrace.

 

 

 

 

Their head looked down at them, arm still raised, holding the knife. Both she and they started shaking.

 

Black tears leaked from their face, and dropped down onto her hair, contaminating her original hair color.

 

 

She pressed her face to their torso, trembling.

 

 

 

 

"We... did it...." she said quietly, in her voice, the sound reverberating through both of them.

 

 

The hand gripped the knife tighter.

 

 

 

 

"We found all your fragments."

 

 

 

She looked up at them.

 

Where the whites of her eyes should be, they were black. The irises were white, unglowing.

 

 

 

 

 

"I have the last piece... here it is."

 

 

 

(FINALLY.) Chara was eager.

 

(NO!)

 

 

 

 

She pulled away slightly from their torso, enough to bring one of her arms in.

 

 

Her hand slid to the center of her body, and then her souls floated out.

 

 

She wrapped her hand around the tiny shard of Gaster's that was suspended in the air, carefully, and then tugged...

 

 

 

They heard a _snap_. She flinched.

 

 

( **YES.** )

 

( **NO!** )

 

 

As she reached forward, and upward, bringing the shard close to the soul of Gaster's in the other being, she spoke.

 

 

 

"... I told you I'd put you back together...."

 

She pressed the soul into its body, and began crying. The darkness in her eyes began to fade, and drained into her tears, staining them black.

 

 

 

"... and we did it...."

 

 

 

She sobbed once.

 

 

 

". _... piece.... b-by piece...._ "

 

 

 

 

 

Gaster and Chara both felt the fragment snap into place. Magic flowed into them.

 

( _YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS-_ )

 

Gaster was silent- he was too busy watching ____.

 

 

 

"And... now you're whole...." she quaked. She was smiling, though.

 

 

 

 

Something.... started burning.

 

 

It ... _hurt_.

 

 

Chara could not will their eyes to leave ____'s face, which was still smiling up at them.

 

 

The burn turned into a searing pain.

It was coming from ... Gaster's soul.

 

 

 

 

"I'm sorry... I probably...." Her voice quieted, broken, and the grin left.

 

 

 

 

The pain burned- it rendered a hole in the body around Gaster's soul. Black tears fell endlessly down from their face.

 

 

 

 

 

"... won't be able to k-keep [that promise](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8731777/chapters/22011071), Gast...."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Her grip loosened, and her white eyes closed, and she fell to the ground below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They began screaming.

 

 

 

They staggered back from ____'s body.

 

 

They dropped the knife, it dissolving into nothing. They clawed at the hole growing outwards from their body. It crept like a burn on paper from flame.

 

 

"WHAT WAS IN THAT FRAGMENT?!" Chara roared.

 

 

Somewhere, not-so-deep inside, Gaster answered, bitterly, with their own mouth.

 

 

 

 

"( _Should have known you couldn't handle love_.)"

 

 

Chara then shrieked, and plunged their grotesque hand into the hole, and ripped Gaster's white-hot soul out.

 

 

 

The soul seared the flesh of the hand, so Chara threw it away from themselves.

 

 

 

Where the soul fell in the snow, black started to pool under it, like a shadow, and began to form a figure.

 

 

 

 

 

The hands holding the Sanses dissolved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chara writhed in agony. The hole kept growing, now stretching from their chest to abdomen, and white flames began to creep from its edges, growing faster and faster.

 

 

Their form shrank down, and resembled the shadow of a small child.

 

 

 

Their scream got higher pitched.

 

 

As the flame enveloped them, they fell to the snow below them, trying to put it out, writhing.

 

 

 

In an instant, a myriad of blue attacks struck them.

 

 

Their face went blank as they were cut in infinite pieces, dissolving, their soul shattering into nothing in the snow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where the soul of Gaster's had been thrown now stood the monster himself, in his entirety.

 

 

 

His eyes opened, and immediately sought to find ____.

 

 

His eyes found her, and they flared white, as he rushed to her side, black coat flaring out behind him.

 

 

He knelt beside her, scooping her body close to him.

 

She seemed... so small.

 

He trembled, holding her closer.

 

 

 

 

The Sanses gathered around, all their faces full of sorrow.

 

 

 

"N-n... no, no, _no, no, no, no...._ " He muttered endlessly, holding her body with one arm, and the back of her head with another. Tears spilled from his eyes, much like they had from Chara's.

 

 

But... she was... still breathing, shallowly.

 

 

"... gaster, i...." the original Sans spoke.

 

 

He didn't even turn away from looking at her motionless body.

 

 

He just cradled her body, and stood up, holding her, [like he did once](http://pre00.deviantart.net/4772/th/pre/i/2017/027/5/c/getting_carried_away_by_words_to_escape_by-dawz9jy.jpg), when all he was was a set of conjured hands and a few thoughts.

 

 

 

He stood, facing away from the Sanses. He couldn't look at them right now.

 

 

 

"I am taking _____ and the Sans from our universe home. I trust that the rest of you will find a way back to your universes." His voice was steeled.

 

 

With that, a large hand grabbed the original Sans, and one appeared open before Gaster. He stepped onto it, and both of the hands flew forward, back towards the door that ____ had come from.

 

 

 

 

 

\--------

 

 

 

 

There was uncomfortable silence, as if in mourning, with the rest of the Sanses.

 

 

Ink broke it.

 

 

 

"it's... over."

 

 

"i'll fuckin' say." Fell echoed.

 

 

"can you...." Dancer sighed, feeling his bones ache from the damage he took. "can you just not, right now? can we just..." he looked at Error and Ink, "... go home?"

 

Ink had streams of black pouring from his eyes as well, staining the snow below him. He wiped them away on his hand, and put his brush away on his back.

 

"yes, you can." Error muttered. He... didn't understand why he was so upset. It made sense for _____ to die, but he didn't feel... good about it. And some part of himself felt like he...

 

No, he wasn't to blame for this.

 

 

Error snapped his fingers, and four separate, smaller rifts roared into existence.

 

One had swirling cool colors like that of space, one with a whole lot of black and red, one with rhythmically pulsing lights amidst darkness, and one that was significantly taller than the others.

 

He looked at the four he had captured.

 

 

"i'm sure you all can guess which is yours. so go, before i destroy this place."

 

He didn't have to warn them twice. They each somberly stepped through the rifts, and they closed behind them, with a snapping sound.

 

He turned to face Ink, who had also made portals outlined in brush strokes, into which Reaper, Beast, and Mafia had all gone. The portals closed behind them, too.

 

 

 

Ink stared at Error. He had fresh tears on his face that he didn't bother to wipe away.

 

 

 

"you better get going too. wouldn't want you to see the end of a universe... that would look bad on your resume," Error bitterly said.

 

 

Ink breathes out, in a fake laugh, grimacing.

 

 

"i don't think this looked good on any of our resumes."

 

 

Error shook his head, and pointed aimlessly off in the distance,

 

"just... get out of here, ink."

 

 

"i will." He drew a circle in a single stroke, and a portal filled with color appeared.

 

Ink paused, and turned to face Error.

"error, i-"

 

" **GO.** "

 

Ink bared his teeth in anger, and hopped through the portal.

 

 

 

 

And Error was alone.

He... was always alone, in the end.

 

 

 

 

His strings poured from his hands, and the blue marks pouring down his face pulled away, also becoming strings.

 

He floated up, and as blue thread after blue thread stretched from him, he felt his emotions give way to his true, destructive self.

 

Errors glitched around him furiously, as his magic built.

 

He stretched his hand out, it ending in countless threads, which all shot forward into the distance, hundreds, thousands of feet in an instant.

 

 

They glowed, and he carved the material of the universe, the fabric of space ripping, like a comforting song. The threads rippled wildly.

 

He used his anger, his frustration about everything that just happened, to fuel the rending.

 

 

He might have been screaming, if the sound of a universe dying didn't cover it up.

 

 

The strings stretched all around him, and slice after slice, the universe lost its stability.

 

 

He snapped, and saw everything cave in.

 

 

A rift opened behind him, silent in the deafening howl of collapse.

 

 

He went through, and it snapped shut behind him.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's time to go home.


	62. This and That

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The motor of the bus was loud, but comforting.

 

 

You looked out the window at the buildings zooming by.

 

Every so often the bus would stop at another place, and then continue on down the street.

 

You were on your way home from work.

 

 

 

 

It was a pretty uneventful day, you had to admit.

 

Even though Sophie and you had a lunch break together, you talked about the same old things.

 

About how the weather was annoying, about that new episode of that show was, about how Amanda was a jerk again...

 

 

 

You sighed.

 

Having a life this normal....

It was alright.

 

But it kind of felt... wrong.

 

 

Like... there was a chance you could have been doing something else.

 

Where did you go wrong, you wondered?

 

The bus pulled up outside of your apartment building.

 

 

You said thanks to the bus driver, and hopped out, and headed to the stairwell.

 

 

Eventually, you reached your apartment door, and inserted your keys, turning them until it unlocked.

 

 

You put down your bag, and strolled into the kitchen. You were a bit hungry, so you pulled out the ingredients for a sandwich.

 

 

You put it together, humming to yourself. [The tune was familiar, but kind of haunting](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi0dSsZR6E0).

 

 

You didn't even bother to put the sandwich on a plate, so you just leaned on the counter and ate it.

 

 

Something about the taste of it.... was... sad.

 

 

What the _heck_....

 

 

You felt your eyes get wet.

 

Why were you crying _over a sandwich?!_

 

 

You decide to put down the sandwich, on a paper towel. You didn't really want to deal with this right now- it ruined your appetite.

 

 

You think you notice something wrong with your hand, and you look at it again, but there's nothing strange.

 

What is even with you today?

 

You decide to lounge in your bedroom, reading to get your mind off of how weird you were feeling.

 

 

You pull out a book you were reading previously. It was an interesting biography about a famous scientist. You didn't remember their name, but apparently they were some undiscovered genius who had been living hidden away, like, underground, in their parent's basement or something, you guessed.

 

 

You suddenly got a bit chilly.

 

You sighed, and flopped the book down next to you. It was impossible to get comfortable.

 

 

You swung yourself out of bed and opened your closet.

 

Your shirts, your sweaters, your dresses.... none looked comfortable...

 

 

But there was a sweater that was unfamiliar.

 

It was a big, ribbed, oversized white turtleneck.

 

 

That would do it! Even though... you didn't remember having it.

 

 

You reached in, and pulled it off the hanger gently. You were amazed by how soft it was.

 

 

You pulled it up and over your head- the neck itself enveloped your head entirely.

 

You laughed as you adjusted it back into place, your hair a mess. You reveled in the softness, and hugged yourself in it.

 

 

Your eyes opened as a pang of emotion hit you.

 

Your eyes started watering. You were incredibly sad.

 

_What, was it this sweater too?!_

 

 

You grumble, as you just let yourself inexplicably cry. Your hunger was back again, you strolled to the kitchen.

 

 

The sandwich sat there... but you couldn't bring yourself to touch it.

 

So you opened your fridge again, and saw a strange pie-shaped dish.

 

 

Oh, did you have pie you forgot about? You got excited.

 

 

You pulled it out, and set it on the counter, beside the sandwich, because you didn't have much counter space.

 

Your eyebrows knotted in confusion.

 

 

This wasn't a pie, this was a quiche.

 

It had uneven chunks out of it, like someone had just... taken a fork to it, instead of cutting it cleanly to serve.

 

 

Somehow, seeing it.... made you feel worse.

 

It, sitting beside the sandwich...

 

Something in your chest hurt.

 

Your hand, barely exposed from the ends of the huge sweater, went to your chest.

 

_Were you having a heart attack?_

 

 

No, it didn't feel like your heart... it felt like something... deeper, at your core.

 

Why? What was...

 

Tears began to pour uncontrollably from your eyes.

 

 

Lonely.

It was loneliness.

 

You spin away from the food, facing your window, overlooking the sky.

 

 

You took deep breaths.

 

 

You lived alone. Why did you feel so lonely?

 

 

Something about the feeling felt... unfamiliar.

 

 

 

Like... it was something new.

Like you weren't alone for the longest time, but now...

 

The loneliness feels new.

 

 

 

 

_Why did it feel new?_

 

You dragged yourself, barely able to stand from the emotional pain, tears running down your face. You didn't even have the strength to sob.

 

 

 

You went into your bedroom, and sat on the edge of your bed.

 

 

_**WHY?** _

 

 

You looked at your hands, palms open. They looked like your own.

 

 

But... they don't feel right.

 

Like they're missing...

 

 

They flicker, and you see white, larger hands with holes in their palms, held over yours.

 

 

They disappear.

 

 

What...?

 

Why did it feel like this?

 

 

 

You sobbed.

 

 

 

Who was it that made you feel so lonely?

 

 

 

 

Who were you with?

 

_Who was missing?!_

 

 

The sandwich, the sweater, the quiche... your hands....

 

 

 

 

 

You fell backwards onto the bed, but it wasn't there to catch you.

 

 

 

You fell.

 

 

 

You kept falling.

 

 

 

You cried.

 

 

 

 

Everything went dark.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be the last. It will be published within a few hours.


	63. Hand in Hand

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You... see.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You see the closets in your bedroom, dimly.

 

 

 

 

Your eyes flicker open.

 

Your body... is in serious pain, so you don't move.

 

You move your eyes, and see a shadow casted over your body.

 

 

You look...

 

 

 

 

And beside you is a tall figure, sitting on your bed next to you. He has a pale white face, and soft cracks that trace down and up from his half-lidded eyes. They have dark circles under them, like he hasn't been sleeping.

 

 

He is leaning against the headboard of your bed, his long arm stretched in what looked like an uncomfortable position. But in that position, you could feel, he was able to both lean back and hold your hand.

 

 

 

You didn't stir.

 

 

You just looked at him.

 

 

 

 

He looked miserable.

 

 

Your face turned into a sad smile.

 

You slowly, gently, squeezed his hand.

 

 

You feel his hand tense, and suddenly he comes alive.

 

 

His eyes open wide. Well, his one eye. The other tries.

 

 

He immediately rocks forward and looks at you, not letting go of your hand.

 

 

 

He is smiling brighter than you ever have seen him.

 

 

You bring your other hand to his face, which is lowered just low enough that you can put it on his cheek.

 

 

 

You smile, and tears form in your eyes. He brings his other hand to hold yours on his face.

 

 

"I'm glad ... I'm not waking up alone."

 

 

 

He leans in closer, still grinning widely.

 

"And I'm glad that I used to be a doctor."

 

 

 

You laugh a bit, before you realize that it is incredibly painful, and your face reflects this.

 

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean..." His face contorts in worry.

 

 

You smile, and pat his face with your proportionally small hand.

 

"You goof. I'd rather laugh and feel pain than just be boring and bed-ridden."

 

 

He eyes you, looking concerned.

"I'm sorry to inform you, but you're gonna be bed-ridden for a few days... you need to heal. You've already been out for a while..." The lights in his eyes began to flicker a bit, and black pooled at the edges of them. "I was worried you might not..."

 

"HEY NOW." You hit his face a bit harder.

"I'm ALIVE and WELL and there's NO POINT in you getting EVEN MORE SAPPY than you already are." You patted his face with each emphasized word.

 

 

This time, he was the one who laughed. He held your hand, and brought it down, away from his face.

 

"Hmmm, smart move on your part." You smiled at his adjustment. He now held both of your hands.

 

 

"How can you be injured and still be so vibrant?" He asked, with a face that kinda made your heart melt.

 

You sputtered.

 

"Well, how can you be so... _pretty_... when you're... so... nice......." You stared at him. You couldn't form coherent thoughts.

 

He laughed, and smiled sweetly at you. You looked at his face. You wondered what it would be like to kiss him.

 

You felt your face heat up from the thought.

 

He, unfortunately noticed. Then he began blushing, and leaned away a bit, his smile turning into a straight line.

 

 

He stared out your window, and you stared upwards a bit.

 

 

You coughed slightly. It hurt.

 

 

 

"So, uh, you, uh... do you....  remember.... the things .... your fragments experience?"

 

 

He nodded. "Mmhmm."

 

His voice was so deep. You really liked it.

 

You smirked. "'So, is that your final thought on the matter'?"

 

He turned back to you, eyes wide, tears forming, mouth parted slightly.

"You're amazing, _____, and I want to say-"

 

"yyeAAH. Ah-ah." You put your finger to his mouth, shushing him.

"You're crying."

 

He brought a hand to his face, and wiped away the tears.

 

"So? You know how much of a sap I am."

 

He still was crying.

 

Goddamn, you were a sympathetic crier.

 

You reached up, and pulled on his coat.

 

"Come here, you."

 

 

You pulled him down, so he was partially on you, and partially leaning against your side. You both lay facing the ceiling, not able to see each other's faces, but you probably were both crying now you knew.

 

 

He spoke.

 

 

"... I wanted to say, I'd be honored.... if you... stayed in my life...." He was quiet, but his voice was soothing.

 

 

You sniffed, half from amusement, half from keeping your nose from running.

 

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing."

 

 

You could nearly feel his emotions- he grinned widely, even though you couldn't see his face.

"Really?"

 

"Yeah, you idiot, I love you, and you love me, so what more is there to it?"

 

"Now who's the sappy one?" He was amused.

 

You shoved him a bit with your body. "That was a series of FACTS, I'll have you know."

 

He shifted, comfortably.

"You know, it's strange. Even though we're no longer bonded, I still feel... you."

 

You smiled. "I was also just thinking that. Seems like an after-effect. A good one."

 

You could feel his joy. It wasn't as defined as it once was, but... it radiated from him.

He spoke again. "You know, that's not the only after-effect."

 

 

 

You huffed. "What, is it love, or something? Cause we already figured that out."

 

He was amused. "No. Your eyes."

 

 

Your eyes widened.

 

"What about my eyes?!"

 

 

You scrambled for your nightstand with your one arm, and felt your phone lying there.

 

 

Your handy-dandy, physical-evolution-checking camera app opened, and you switched it to selfie mode. Why always not selfie mode automatically at this point? That would be smarter.

 

You saw your eyes look back at you.

 

 

Where the whites of your eyes should be...

 

 

 

 

 

... they were white. Just like normal.

 

 

But your irises...

They were also white.

 

 

Your face lit up.

 

"SwwEEET!"

 

"You're not angry?"

 

"Heck NO, what a cool souvenir from adventuring! Gast, now we match, kinda!"

 

You tilted the phone, and you could now see Gaster smiling, the both of you lying on the bed, grinning at the screen.

 

You had bags under your eyes, and your face looked a bit scratched, but otherwise, you looked alive, and your skin was its normal hue.

 

 

You looked happy together.

 

This time, your thumb deliberately pressed the capture button.

 

You admired the picture. It was most definitely a keeper.

 

 

You put the phone back on the nightstand.

 

You hummed as you just lie there, feeling his emotions, feeling his body.

 

That was new, for sure. You liked it a lot though.

 

He liked it a lot too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Gaster."

 

 

"Hm?"

 

 

"You know, all the books that talk about you, all call you W.D. Gaster. And I've known you as Gaster this whole time."

 

 

You could feel him panic a bit.

 

 

"So... what does the W. D. stand for?"

 

 

He sighed.

 

".... Wing Dings."

 

 

Your eyes opened.

 

".... Wing.... Dings....."

 

 

"Yes."

 

 

 

 

"that iS AMAZING AND PERFECT!!" You nudge yourself close to him in your exclamation. It was so goddamn cute and silly and just like him.

 

 

You latched onto his arm with yours.

 

He was surprised.

 

"You really think so?"

 

"You KNOW I think so."

 

"... I am ... glad."

 

 

You both lie there, enjoying each other's warmth and really, really nice emotions.

 

 

 

 

 

"Hey, Gast."

 

 

"Yes?"

 

 

"Let's just lay here until I get better enough to move."

 

 

He chuckled.

"That sounds like a good plan to me."

 

 

 

Your hand reached down, and grabbed his hand.

 

 

And the two of you lie there.

 

 

And you closed your eyes.

 

 

 

 

And you both fell asleep, just like that.

 

 

 

The end.

(Of Piece by Piece.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

\-----------------------------------

~Author's Notes~

 

Sorry to just kinda -shove- this on a chapter, but hey, I said it was going to be the last chapter, didn't I? Also didn't think this would fit in Notes...

 

I want to thank you all, for your amazing encouragement through this story! I wouldn't have felt nearly as inspired if I didn't have you guys cheering on ______.... 

And the FAN ART - I die every time I see a new piece, it makes me so happy... I love seeing other people's interpretations.

 

I really, really enjoyed this. This was my first fanfic that I actually published, or even bothered to finish. I really liked the original concept, and I'm so glad I stuck with it.

 

 

So I am pleased to announce...

 

 

 

*drumrollllllllllllll*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That there will be a second part to this work, called Hand in Hand! It will feature more of ______'s and Gaster's life, as they meander the craziness of the real world as two, separate, whole, in-love beings.

 

There will be a whole lot more fluff, let me tell you. I have thoughts... many thoughts... that are forming into chapter plots as we speak.

 

And... yeah, there will probably be smut because... because.....

 _There just will be_. There needs to be. The world needs more wholesome smut; not that I'm saying the darker stuff isn't deserving of credit, but...

I'll mark the explicit ones though, so all you who are trying to stay out of the sin tin can breathe easy.

 

Not sure when the first chapter will come out. But probably ... someday... this month?

 

So... yeah. Thank you all for reading so very, very much.

 

And if you are reading this, sometime in the future, where you are a lucky soul who didn't have to go through waiting and experiencing my horrendous cliffhangers...

Kudos to you. You had it easy.

 

And the rest of you who did, well, I salute you, you brave, beautiful souls. I couldn't just... finish the story all at once, alright? Plus... I will admit it was kinda fun seeing all your reactions... XD

 

And with that, I say, I must now, actually, genuinely, get back to my real life's work. I've... not done much at all this break... but hey, I got to make this thing! I'm still kinda reeling in shock about how popular it is? Like, how....?

 

Oh! And before I forget, I wanted to do a little subtlenotsubtle -shove- of my other works, which... will probably get a bit more of my attention now that I'm done with this and its crazy-intense-plot-burst.

 

[Why Can't You Just](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9711068)\- Currently a pilot for a ReaderxError!Sans story, which actually will take place in the same universe as Piece by Piece. Look for crossovers in both this and Hand in Hand!

Will also be downright hilarious. Error's gonna lose his powers to some undetermined degree, and the reader is gonna be really no-nonsense.

 

[Small Flames, Large Hearts](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9340121/chapters/21163244)\- So, I was thinking, there's a lot of bitty Sanses and skeletons, but... why no tiny Grillby? Also, making him tiny would be really crazy to see how his normally calm, dignified self would react to... well, you'll see. Shit goes down. And the monsters get small.

Also is a ReaderxGrillby work. Cause we need more of those too.

 

 

Thank you all again, and kudos each and every one of you!!!!!

 

 

 

-WTEB

 

 *****EDIT March 18th******

The first chapter of Hand in Hand is up! It's part three of The Piece by Piece Saga, because I couldn't move the Fanart collection around to 3 for some reason....

 

*****EDIT June 5 2018*****

Hehe... sorry for this, but HiH may not have the promised smut... haven't made up my mind yet about it.

Thanks for reading, once again! Cheers~

 

 


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